Bara Magna
by Goldenrod
Summary: Kit arrives on Bara Magna to find Mata Nui, and gets involved in the troubles of another planet.
1. Arrival

Author's Note: Heeere it is folks. The long awaited next installment of Kit's adventures in the Bionicle world. Sorry it took so long (part of the problem was my editor took a long time to get it done). Hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bionicle, only Kit.

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><p>Somewhere, in the emptiness of space, a planet with two neighboring moons hovered. A planet that was a dry, dusty, charred shell of what it used to be, a planet that had seen better centuries, a planet that was shattered and still not whole. It was on this planet that small blue lights materialized. They rotated around a figure and vanished. Kit surveyed her surroundings. 'Nice place,' she said sarcastically to herself. She was now not only on another planet, but she was, apparently, in the middle of a desert. However, this desert was different from the ones on Mata Nui and Metru Nui. Whereas those deserts, though harsh environments, still gave off a sense of natural beauty and the capability to support life, this desert had none of that—only evidence of terrible, costly destruction, barely suitable to sustain even the hardiest of life forms. "Ok, where do I go from here?" she asked no one in particular, unless one counted the desert itself, since that was all that lay before her. Tehreisha mentioned that she would transport her to where the main focus of the story was to be, and where the Mask of Life, and thus the Great Spirit himself, Mata Nui, could be found. But how was she supposed to find the kanohi in this vast landscape? She didn't even have a clue as to where to begin. Just then, she heard some strange cries—like that of an animal and decided to investigate.<p>

The sounds were coming from a crater and she could hear the sounds of a struggle. She slid down into the trench and peeked around the corner, inside the hollow of the crater. Needless to say, she couldn't believe her eyes. Before her were two humanoid beings, one screeching and lunging at the other on the ground with its scorpion-like tail, the other trying to defend itself by rolling side-to-side. What really caught Kit's attention was the figure on the ground. It was wearing the Kanohi Ignika; it was Mata Nui. Seeing both that he needed help and her chance, the girl fired a low-powered energy ball. The sphere hit the scorpion creature in the back, stinging it enough to get its attention. It turned and faced Kit, screeching at her. It eyed her as if it was getting ready to defend its claim. Kit shifted a little but stood her ground, showing the creature she wasn't backing down. She fired energy balls at it, now fully charged, but it proved to be faster than she calculated. She kept it at bay this way for a few minutes before it suddenly lunged at her. Its head rammed into her midsection and she skidded on the ground. Badly winded and wheezing for air, she tried to sit up, hand to her stomach. The creature, meanwhile, had turned its attention back to Mata Nui and thrust its tail at him once more. Mata Nui, however, brought a shield up to protect himself and there was a loud crack—the creature's tail had broken off. It screeched in disbelief, regarded Mata Nui with fear and uncertainty, and scrambled up and out of the crater like its life depended on it.

Mata Nui sighed in relief and gazed at Kit. For some reason, he felt like he had felt the aura of power she radiated before; it felt so familiar. As he walked up to her, Kit couldn't help but look upon him in awe. She could scarcely believe it. She had heard so many things, so many stories, about Mata Nui, even fought tooth and nail to help save him, and now he was standing right in front of her. 'Though, somehow, I thought he'd be . . . different,' she said to herself; the guy was the same size as a Toa. He offered his hand, "Are you alright?"

"I've been better," Kit answered, accepting it.

"You're Kit, aren't you?"

"How did you know?"

After thinking about it, all Mata Nui could say was, "I'm not sure." The shield he carried then began to glow. Before Kit could ask what was happening, it flashed a bright light and in its place was a little beetle. Mata Nui looked to it and then to the girl, "Before this day I never needed help from anyone, or anything. Thank you, both of you."

"I didn't do much," said Kit, scratching the back of her head in a shy manner. "All I did was get the wind knocked out of me."

"But, it was your distraction that enabled me to have a chance to raise up my shield and defend myself," assured Mata Nui, hand on her shoulder. The beetle clicked its mandibles in agreement. Mata Nui knelt down to one knee. "Well little one, I spared your life and you saved mine**,**" he said to the insect, and he lowered his arm closer to the ground. "Shall we call it even and go our separate ways?"

The beetle, instead of leaving, crawled right back up his arm, all the way to his shoulder, and clicked rapidly in protest. "Looks like he likes you," said Kit, smiling at the sight.

Mata Nui chuckled, "Hey, easy. It was just a-"

Suddenly, the two heard a sound like a motor. They found a vehicle coming their way being driven by a figure in white armor. Not wanting to take any chances that this could be another attack, they ran to meet it, Mata Nui grabbing the stinger tail as he did. The driver skid his vehicle to a stop and regarded the two before grabbing a small blade.

"State your business," he demanded, pointing the weapon at them.

Mata Nui considered the blade and the driver, who narrowed his eyes at him and Kit, and replied, "Just a couple of travelers looking for the nearest city."

Then, just like that, the stranger's eyes lit up as he laughed. "Well then, you may as well start digging. Here on Bara Magna you're bound to find the ruins of one or another."

Kit and Mata Nui glanced at each other, wondering what this guy was talking about. "That's a joke," the stranger explained, but the two remained silent. "Let me guess. Not big laughers?"

"Uh . . ," Kit uttered uncertainly; of course she could be a laugher, but this guy's sense of humor didn't even tickle her funny bone. 'At least he's not like Jester, thank goodness,' she thought to herself.

"Right," said the stranger, seeing that he wasn't getting anywhere. "Well, to answer your question, the nearest village is Vulcanus. I've got some business there if you want a ride, that is unless you'd rather wind up captured by a pack of Bone Hunters or worse, Skrall."

"What are Bone Hunters and Skrall?" Kit asked with an inquisitively cocked eyebrow.

"No one you ever want to meet," the stranger answered as he climbed out of the vehicle. He then noticed the beetle on Mata Nui's shoulder and moved to swipe it away, "Hey, you've got a-" However, he immediately stepped back when Mata Nui, thinking the stranger meant to attack him, brought up the stinger tail. "Relax, you've got a filthy scarabax on your back," he said, hands up. "I was just trying to knock the disgusting thing off."

'So, that's what they're called,' Kit thought to herself as she peered at the insect. Though she was not a fan of bugs, she didn't see what was 'disgusting' or 'filthy' about this one.

"Thanks, but I like him right where he is," said Mata Nui. The scarabax clicked its approval.

"Alright, whatever," said the stranger. "To each his own, I guess."

Kit and Mata Nui approached the vehicle as the stranger climbed into the driver's seat. "I'm Metus," he introduced, extending his hand.

"I'm Mata Nui," Mata Nui said as he grasped Metus' hand, unsurely at first.

"And, I'm Kit," the girl introduced herself as she, too, shook hands.

Mata Nui and Kit, with no other seats available, grabbed hold of the bars that formed the frame. "Hold on," Metus told them, and the vehicle took off at full speed over the ridge of the crater. Kit couldn't hold back a yell as they flew through the air and came to a landing on the ground. As they rode, she and Mata Nui scanned the surrounding empty landscape.

"Metus, what happened here?" Kit asked.

"Who knows?" Metus answered. "Been like this since anyone can remember. But, if I had to make a guess, I'd probably say it was-"

"Evil," Mata Nui cut in.

"I was going to say 'earthquake', maybe 'volcanic eruption', but 'evil' works."

Metus gazed at his two passengers, especially at Kit. He was rather intrigued that she didn't seem to have any noticeable mechanical implants. As for Mata Nui, the guy didn't even know what Bone Hunters and Skrall were. This left only one conclusion. "Neither of you are from around here, are you?" he asked.

"No," Mata Nui responded.

"I figured. It's clear you can fight if you can defeat a Vorox**, **and there aren't many Agori who can do that."

"Agori?" Kit inquired.

"Me. I'm an Agori. Although, most are not as good looking as I am."

The Agori chuckled, but when he didn't hear anything from his riders, he pointed out, "That's another joke."

"Sorry," Kit apologized.

Deciding to give the humor a rest, since his passengers either didn't have a sense for it or weren't in the mood, Metus continued. "Truth is we're just peaceful villagers trying to survive. Not like the Bone Hunters, cutthroats who steal what little we got left—when they're not fighting with the Skrall."

* * *

><p>The three travelers continued on the path, encountering a little trouble on the way, until they came to the entrance of a canyon. As Metus drove through, Kit noticed how it seemed to get warmer the further in they went. The canyon then opened up into a courtyard of sorts surrounded by what looked like little housings. Cheering echoed from up ahead.<p>

"Ah, good! Sounds like we're just in time," Metus smiled.

"For what?" Kit asked.

"You'll see," was all Metus said with a broad smile, making her wonder if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

She and Mata Nui followed their Agori guide through a passageway. With him next to her, it was then that Kit realized that Metus was almost as tall as her, just short of two to two-and-a-half feet.

"Back in the day, the villages settled disputes the old fashioned way by destroying each other," Metus explained. "Very messy. A lot of clean up. So, we came up with a solution."

Kit silently gasped in astonishment. Before her was laid out an arena—and there were two figures fighting each other. A crowd of red Agori were calling, "Ackar!" over and over again. "You Agori use your best warriors for sport," Mata Nui asked, not bothering to keep the contempt out of his tone; this was most unlike how things were in his world.

"Not sport—problem solving," Metus corrected. "Much more honorable than slaughtering each other, and considerably more profitable." Kit and Mata Nui stopped and looked at each other at that statement. Metus noticed, "Err . . . not that I care about that kind of thing." 'Riiight,' Kit said to herself; she could tell by the fast and charmful way he talked that Metus was the businessman type. As they walked along the path, opposite cheers could be heard from the stands.

"Ackar! Ackar!"

"Take him down! Get him, Strakk!"

"The red warrior, Ackar, used to be the greatest Glatorian in all of Bara Magna," Metus pointed out about one of the fighters.

"'Used to be'?" Kit inquired.

"Uh . . let's just say he's not the fighter he once was."

While Mata Nui observed this Ackar a moment longer, Kit noted the presence of lava around the area and a thought came to her.

"Metus, are we near a volcano?"

"Sort of. We're _inside_ a volcano."

Seeing the girl's nervous expression, Metus chuckled, "Don't worry, kid. It's pretty much inactive and, for the few times it does act up, there are conduits underneath that direct the lava elsewhere." After Kit breathed a sigh of relief, the Agori led the two to a few others of different colors sitting apart from the crowd.

"Ah, Metus, good you're here," a red Agori in dented up and scratched armor greeted. "Look at Ackar. I tell you, his days are numbered. I practically had to beg him to fight."

"Mata Nui, Kit, meet Raanu," Metus introduced them. "He's the leader of this village. These two are new in town."

Kit offered a small, polite bow, which Raanu reciprocated. The Agori gazed with curiosity at the girl and with interest at Mata Nui. He turned back to the match down below before returning his attention to Mata Nui. "What do you think?"

"He fights without fear," Mata Nui replied. "That is a rare quality."

"True enough," Raanu nodded. "But, he's lost his taste for battle**,** and once a Glatorian loses heart, it's not long 'til he meets defeat and must be banished." 'Banished?' Kit thought, surprised. But before she could inquire further, Raanu spoke again, "No doubt, that is why Metus brought you here tonight."

Metus gasped and looked nervous, like he got caught in something that wasn't supposed to be discovered. "I don't understand," said Mata Nui.

"Metus, is there something you neglected to tell us?" Kit asked in a playfully suspicious tone.

"Heh, let's not get ahead of ourselves, Raanu," said Metus. "There's plenty of time to find a new First Glatorian to take Ackar's place. By the way, did I mention that I recruit Glatorian?"

"Uh . . no, you didn't," Kit replied.

"Oh, my bad."

"So, you're a promoter, then?"

Metus nodded with pride, and he and Kit and Mata Nui watched the fight. On her end, Kit couldn't help but see a similarity between this world and her own. "I feel like I've gone back in time," she said with fascination.

"You have Glatorian where you come from?" asked Raanu.

"In a way, but we called them Gladiators. Centuries ago, during the time of the Roman Empire, these gladiatorial matches were held. However, the matches weren't for settling disputes. They were just entertainment for the public and nobility, plain and simple. Plus, they were fights to the death, so they were very graphic. And, the gladiators were not warriors. They were criminals or prisoners of war that were trained to fight."

Seeing the Agori's somber expressions, she quickly added, "But, that's all ancient history. That gladiatorial combat hasn't happened in hundreds of years."

The two Agori nodded relievingly and turned their attention back to the match in the arena. By now, Ackar was advancing on Strakk, who just lost his shield. With his main means of defense gone, the white Glatorian had no choice but to keep his distance from his opponent's sword. "This red warrior fights with the courage of a true Toa," Mata Nui said to himself, admiring Ackar's prowess.

The tide of the match seemed to have turned at that moment. Now, Strakk was the one pressing Ackar back as he just kept swinging his axe at him. Ackar blocked a strike and, with Strakk fully focused on forcing his weapon through, punched his shield into his challenger's torso, sending him flying into a boulder and causing him to lose hold of his weapon. Strakk collapsed to the ground, exhausted. 'Heck, they both look exhausted,' Kit thought to herself; both Glatorian were panting. Both sides of the crowd of Agori cheered, one of victory, the other encouragement, as the village leaders either stood up or leaned forward in anticipation. Ackar approached Strakk, pointing the tip of his blade in front of his face. A moment passed, and Strakk nodded, apparently accepting defeat. Ackar then turned and picked up Strakk's shield, claiming it in victory.

However, behind him, Strakk grabbed his axe.

"Watch out!" a spectator shouted.

"Behind you!" Kit called.

But, the combined warning came too late and Strakk threw his weapon. Ackar managed to block the brunt of the attack with the shield, but the force was still great enough to send him crashing into another boulder in the arena. He tried to get up, but weakness from the shock of the collision overcame him. Strakk, meanwhile, collected his axe as he stalked towards him.

Back up in the stands, Mata Nui and Kit couldn't believe what just happened. "You call this honor?" the former Great Spirit asked in a more-than-displeased tone. "He was clearly defeated."

"We're just Agori. We're not going to fight a Glatorian," was all Raanu said. "His village leader will decide what needs to be done."

"When?" Kit shot back. "Before or after he's committed murder?"

Mata Nui gazed at the beetle on his shoulder, which nodded, and, before anyone realized what he was doing, leaped down from the stands into the arena. The scarabax transformed into shield mode, taking the crowd's breath away. Kit could've sworn she heard someone ask if everyone saw what happened. "Interesting," mused Metus. "No wonder he's so fond of that bug." Kit grinned at him and leaned against the railing for a better look.

Mata Nui made the first move on an unsuspecting Strakk with a flying side-kick. Strakk, however, being an experienced fighter, regained his feet in an instant. Seeing his attacker, he charged and sent Mata Nui flying against a rock with a mighty swipe. Unfortunately, if anyone was expecting him to put up a good fight, they were sorely disappointed. It quickly became apparent that Mata Nui hadn't had any combat training.

"Too bad. I'd hoped he'd bring a decent price," said Metus, who Kit barely minded as she watched with concern as Mata Nui fought to keep blocking Strakk's blows.

"You can't keep defending yourself, Mata Nui. You've got to strike back," she called.

However, before Mata Nui could figure out how to implement the young human's advice, another powerful hit knocked him to the ground and, the next thing he knew, Strakk was on top of him, ready to strike the finishing blow.

Seeing that Mata Nui was tired, Kit moved to jump down to help—only to be held back. "Oh no you don't," Metus said with exertion, like it was taking all of his strength to hold her down.

"Let go," Kit said as she fought to get the Agori's grasp off of her waist. "He's going to kill him."

But, Metus held on tight. "He'll do the same to you if you interfere."

Both girl and Agori struggled against each other when a bright flash from the arena occurred. Looking down, they saw that in place of the stinger tail, Mata Nui was now wielding a bright, gleaming sword. Mata Nui took advantage of Strakk's confusion and swept his feet out from underneath him. Back on his feet and with the upper hand, he swiped the axe out of Strakk's grasp and pointed the edge of the blade at his throat. Even from their vantage point in the stands, Metus and Kit could plainly see that the Iconox Glatorian, disarmed and literally at the mercy of someone he just tried to kill, looked very nervous. After a little unheard exchange between the two, Strakk called out, "I concede!" The crowd cheered; it was over.

"Now can I get down there?" Kit asked.

"Be my guest," replied Metus.

"There's a staircase in that direction that leads down to the arena," Rannu pointed down the path.

"Thanks. Come to think of it, going that way instead of this way ought to save me a leg bone or two."

The two Agori chuckled as the girl disappeared down the mentioned staircase. Within minutes, she was down in the arena and trotted toward Mata Nui and the red Glatorian, Ackar. She reached them just as Ackar placed a foot on Strakk's axe; the white warrior was obviously trying his old trick again while Mata Nui wasn't looking. "Don't," the red Glatorian warned dangerously. Strakk snarled, got up, and glared at the two while completely ignoring Kit as he stalked away. However, getting a funny feeling about what was going on behind his back, he whipped his head around. Though there was nothing unusual, he eyed the strange small one suspiciously.

Kit noticed and glared back. "What're you lookin' at, spike-head?" she asked, daring him to respond, and he left. After flashing a mischievous grin, Kit asked Ackar, "What'll happen to him?"

"For attacking after admitting defeat? Banishment," answered the Glatorian. "No village can afford to send Glatorian without honor into the arena. A warrior like that dishonors himself and them by dishonoring his opponent and the rules. Strakk will be forced to live out in the wastelands before the week is over." He then picked up Strakk's shield and handed it to Mata Nui. "Your victory, your shield."

"You won honorably," Mata Nui declined. "The prize of victory is yours."

Ackar looked at the 'prize'. "Well, in that case . . . ," and tossed it away as if it were useless trash. "I've got plenty of shields." In the stands, the Agori were already departing and not even looking in Ackar's direction. "Oh, how quickly they forget," the Glatorian said in a quiet voice. "I'm already an outcast."

"It's never too late to win them back," Mata Nui assured him.

"Perhaps," Ackar shrugged, agreeing half-heartedly. "I am in your debt, stranger."

Mata Nui and Kit said nothing as they shared a glance with each other. No words were needed. Despite having only met one another, they could somehow tell they were both wondering if they'd just found the most precious thing they would ever find on this planet—an ally.


	2. Sandray Canyon

Upon invitation from Ackar, Kit and Mata Nui followed the Glatorian to his home. It was simple—a bed, a table, a chair, and a window—but it was cozy. Ackar began to pack supplies in a satchel.

"What are you packing for?" Kit asked.

"I'm due for another match in Tesara, a village to the northwest," he replied.

While Ackar continued to stock up, the girl joined Mata Nui in admiring a wall practically covered in shields, trophies of the Glatorian's past victories. 'He wasn't kidding when he said he already had plenty,' Kit thought to herself; there must've been at least a hundred of them. "Wow, you won all these?" she inquired with admiration.

"Yes," Ackar answered, though casually. "And look what good they do me. I should've packed it in long before this."

"But, you stayed," said Mata Nui, turning to face the aged warrior. "Why?"

"Duty. Pride," Ackar answered with a bit of a sad, longing tone. "But, a Glatorian past his prime is no good to anyone."

"To be defeated without a fight would be dishonor," Mata Nui pointed out. "You carry this truth inside you, as Kit and I do. You are a true Toa."

Ackar looked at him, perplexed, "Toa?"

"We'll take it that that title's not in your vocabulary," said Kit.

"No, can't say it is. What is it?"

Before Mata Nui and Kit could explain, Metus let himself in. "Mata Nui! You were brilliant! Rannu will pay anything we ask and if you don't like this village,no problem. I can get the other leaders to bid for you**.**"

"That is very kind, but no."

Metus looked at Mata Nui as if he had volunteered to be a Skrall's practice dummy. "Are you crazy? Do you realize what you're passing up? The life of a First Glatorian!"

"Oh, yes, look how great it worked out for me," said Ackar as he continued to find things to pack.

"The answer is still no," Mata Nui repeated to the Agori firmly.

"Ok, ok, I hear you, but when you change your mind-"

"I will not."

"Playing hard to get. I can respect that. Soon enough you'll come around begging me to take you back."

Mata Nui growled and narrowed his eyes at the promoter. Metus, in response, held up his hands and walked backwards towards the door. "Ok, that's a joke. You'd never beg." He exited the shelter and disappeared from the doorway. But then, he popped his head back in and said, "I'm going now," before vanishing for real. Ackar, Kit, and Mata Nui shared a laugh at the sight.

"So, strangers**,** what are your plans?" Ackar asked.

"I begin searching for a way back to my homeland," Mata Nui replied.

"And, I'm going with him," added Kit.

"And, your homeland is?" asked Ackar, prompting Kit and Mata Nui to look at each other uneasily.

"You will think it sounds crazy," Mata Nui finally said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, no crazier than jumping into the arena, armed with only a tail and . . . that thing," Ackar noted as he pointed at the scarabax beetle perched on Mata Nui's shoulder, which clicked in response.

"No offense, but he does have a point," said Kit.

After a minute, Mata Nui said, "My home is far from this place** . . . **on another world entirely." Ackar stopped and turned to look at the pair. He had no doubt from the moment he saw her that Kit was not of Bara Magna, but Mata Nui an alien as well? "I was once a protector, until I lost everything to a powerful evil that has enslaved my people. That is why I must find a way back," Mata Nui elaborated.

"And . . . what's your story, Kit?" the Glatorian asked, curiosity piqued.

"I'm from another dimension, another universe completely," she answered. "Until a few hours ago, I was also in charge of protecting Mata Nui's homeworld. Now, I'm here to help him out and to see to it that he gets back . . . somehow."

Suddenly, a voice cried, "I knew it!" Mata Nui and Kit jumped a little, turned around, and Ackar exclaimed in surprise. The new arrival was a blue-armored Glatorian and, judging from the lean and wiry physique and pitch of voice, it was female. She jumped and whooped and hollered excitedly, almost reminding Kit of what Matau was like as a Toa. "Proof! Proof of what I've been saying for years!" she said.

"Kiina! This is not the place," Ackar scolded.

"But, I was right!" she countered.

"Who is this?" Mata Nui demanded, brandishing his sword while Kit warmed up a couple of energy balls.

Ackar tried to calm them down, "No, wait. She's**-**"

The female, though, cut him off, "The name's Kiina. A Glatorian. One of the best. And, you two just won me a lot of bets." Kit and Mata Nui both cocked eyebrows in a confused manner at the Glatorian's statement. "'Kiina's delusional. There's no such thing as other worlds.' Yeah, well, _they_ prove it." While Kiina proceeded to strut around and chant in a singsong-kind of way, Ackar explained.

"It's ok. Although I don't always agree with her methods—such as lurking in the shadows—as Glatorian go, Kiina ranks. I'd trust her with my life."

After observing the female Glatorian a moment more, Kit gave Mata Nui a look that silently asked, 'What do you think?' "Good to meet you Kiina," he replied. "I have recently discovered what a great gift it is to find someone you can truly trust." The scarabax on his shoulder clicked a reply.

When Kiina spotted it, she backed away a step, obviously repulsed. "So what they're saying is true?" she asked Ackar, who nodded. She then got up close to Mata Nui, peering closer at the insect. "Let me guess. You guys call him 'Click'," she said sarcastically. Not liking her tone, the bug clicked and chittered defensively, making Kiina step back. "Hey, I was just kidding."

"Actually, it does suit him," Kit said thoughtfully, hand to her chin.

"I like it, too," Mata Nui concurred. "'Click' it is." The newly christened Click clicked, as if happy to have a name.

Kiina, meanwhile, walked in a circle around Mata Nui and Kit, taking in every angle of their bodies. Whereas Mata Nui looked so much like the other Glatorian that she met, Kit was something else. The armor she wore looked so feeble, like it could tear easily. How was it supposed to protect her? A wad of light colored hair covered her head. She was about to feel it, but thought better of it. And, most fascinating of all was her completely organic body. 'How does she get on without any implants?' Kiina thought to herself. 'Unless they're underneath that armor, or whatever it is.' "Wow, not one but _two_ real otherworlders," she finally mused aloud. "Finally, someone to convince the Agori there's a place better than this miserable wasteland."

"They need our help, Kiina, and I owe Mata Nui," said Ackar, frowning.

Kit wasn't sure, but she could've sworn there was a hint of a warning in his voice. "Help, huh?" Kiina considered. "I might be able to do something for you guys. But, I'm going to want something in return. I want out of this dump. You have to take me with you!" 'Boy, she's bold,' Kit thought to herself. Ackar was about to reprimand the female, fearing she was asking too much, but Mata Nui placated him and turned to Kiina.

"If it's within our power, we'll take you, but the time to help my people is running out."

"No problem, I work fast," she replied.

"What do you have in mind, Kiina?" Ackar asked, genuinely curious. As far as he knew, there was no way to get off Bara Magna.

"Well, I discovered an enormous cavern under my village. It's filled with weird ancient equipment and tools. It might have something you two can use. Word of warning, though, don't even think of pulling a fast one 'cause you're my ticket out of here."

Kit chuckled, "Don't worry, Kiina. We wouldn't even dream of it. Knowing you, you won't let us." Everyone laughed at the girl's joke. 'I could get to like this girl,' Kiina thought, finding herself liking the kid's sense of humor and ability to think on her feet.

* * *

><p>The next hour was spent discussing the journey to Kiina's water village of Tajun. The female Glatorian suggested that they get moving right away, using the cover of the darkness of night to make it less likely that they would be spotted by Bone Hunters. Ackar, however, pointed out that evening was when Vorox were most active and had a nasty habit of launching surprise attacks from the sand, which would be harder to see in the dark. Therefore, they'd be better off traveling during the light of day, even though that meant traversing in blistering desert heat and making it easier for Bone Hunters to notice them with no cover available in the wildlands.<p>

Another issue they needed to deal with was transportation. Kiina's first choice was to use hooved animals called sand stalkers that were commonly used as mounts for the Glatorian. Unfortunately, hers was sick and not fit for traveling. So, that left only one other option, which Ackar went to take care of while the others called it a night.

* * *

><p>The next morning, after gathering up what supplies they thought they would need, the group followed Ackar to the courtyard of the village. There they found the same kind of vehicle that Metus had, only bigger. "You're kidding," Kiina said to Ackar in disbelief.<p>

"It's the best I could find on such short notice," Ackar replied; he wasn't kidding. "I'll admit it does look a little beat up, but I was assured that it's still going strong."

"'A _little_ beat up'? That thing looks like it's been patched up and repaired a dozen times over, and you know as well as I do that dune chariots are just as reliable as a Skrall's word."

"But it's the only option we have," said Mata Nui. "We're going to have to make it work."

With a sigh, Kiina hopped into the driver's seat while the others climbed on wherever they could. Kit had to admit that Kiina had a point; the chariot did seem very rickety. However, Mata Nui was right—unless they wanted to waste time by walking, they didn't have any other choice. And so, they drove through the entrance/exit of the village, unaware that they were noticed by a malicious pair of eyes.

* * *

><p>About an hour had passed, and it already felt to Kit like it was ninety degrees, give or take. She really hoped that Ackar was right about them making it to the village before high sun as she took a few gulps of water from her canteen, resisting the urge to drink as much as she desired in order to conserve it as long as possible. 'The long sleeves of my shirt, my jeans, and the dark colors of my clothes don't help much, either,' she thought to herself. In the distance, she saw a huge canyon which Ackar identified as Sandray Canyon.<p>

"Is the cavern in that canyon?" Mata Nui asked Kiina.

"No, it's near Tajun, my village, just beyond the canyon," she replied. 'Good, that means once we reach that canyon, we'll be almost there,' Kit thought. 'I wonder if they'll let me take a quick dip in their pool.'

After what seemed like forever, and just when Kit thought she couldn't take it anymore, they reached the canyon, where it was a little cooler. Both Mata Nui and the girl admired the majesty of the natural formation whereas the Glatorian looked about them warily, especially Ackar.

"I don't like this," said the veteran. "This canyon's ideal for an ambush."

"Please, even Bone Hunters aren't dumb enough to take on _three_ Glatorian," Kiina countered, though she knew it wasn't true. She knew Bone Hunters would try anything so long as they had the element of surprise, but she didn't want Mata Nui and Kit to change their minds and decide they wanted out of this crazy ride.

Ackar knew what she up to, though, and let her know it. He felt the two had a right to know if there was going to be any danger, plus he owed Mata Nui. "They're getting bolder. Skrall, too. In the past months they've seemed to know our every move." 'That's not good,' Kit said to herself, experience telling her so.

"True," Kiina agreed, "but don't worry. It's not like we got much worth stealing. Well, maybe Mata Nui does." Click clicked with enthusiastic agreement. "I meant his blade, bug-face," snapped the female Glatorian. "I can't believe I'm talking to an insect."

"Believe it, sister. I just heard you," Kit piped in, flashing a playful grin. Kiina, for some reason, couldn't help but smile back; the young Otherworlder was really starting to grow on her.

"When an enemy knows too much, it can only mean one thing—a traitor," said Mata Nui, also speaking from experience.

"I was thinking the same thing," nodded Ackar. "But, who?"

Suddenly, the ground quaked and there was a threatening rumble. "I think we've got a bigger problem!" yelled Kiina as the rumble picked up in volume. Seeing the ground buckling and heaving up ahead, Kit's first thought was an earthquake. But then the ground exploded, revealing an at least forty foot tall half animal, half-machine like creature. It had four legs that were equipped with treads and claws and a pair of nasty looking pincers completed its massive mouth. It roared as the chariot approached.

"What is that thing?" Kit shouted, her eyes wide with terror.

"Skopio!" Ackar replied.

Kiina immediately went into action to avoid the beast's claws; her wild driving forcing Kit to hold on and brace herself to keep from being thrown. After a few tries, Kiina got them turned around.

"We should turn back," said Mata Nui; maybe they could find a less dangerous route.

"Can't," Ackar pointed behind him. "They're even deadlier."

Looking behind the chariot, Kit saw what he meant—a band of black armored riders on bipedal reptile-like animals, and, especially considering the swords they had up, they didn't look friendly. 'Those must be the Bone Hunters I've heard so much about,' she realized.

"My village! There's another Glatorian there," Kiina said. "Just got to make it through."

Kit switched her view to the distance up ahead and, sure enough, she saw what looked like a settlement of some kind. Of course, that meant she also noticed that they were heading right for the Skopio again. "Hang on tight!" Kiina called and punched down on the accelerator, dodging a strike. 'This girl's driving like a maniac!' Kit thought to herself when the female Glatorian used their momentum to drive along the canyon wall. However, the Skopio managed to land a hit after that, sending the chariot and its occupants tumbling end-over-end.

The Glatorian regained their feet while Mata Nui tended to a disoriented Kit. Seeing that the girl didn't seem to be injured, he turned to Ackar. "Help Kiina. We'll draw the beast away from you."

"Good luck," Ackar nodded and joined the fray.

Mata Nui then turned to Click and Kit, "Alright you two, ready?" Click nodded and shifted to shield form.

"Mata, I was born ready," Kit replied and summoned her armor suit.

Again, just like at Karda Nui, it warped and changed due to the adaptive armor. When it was finished, she found herself looking through a tinted shade that reduced the glare of the sun. She looked at her hands and down at herself. The armor placement and colors were still the same, but the body suit was now a mottled light tannish-brown color, reminding her of the camouflage pattern soldiers had on their uniforms. A light colored scarf was loosely wrapped around her neck and lower face and formed a cover for her head to protect her scalp from the sun, just like the desert dwelling peoples of her world wore.

Nodding to Mata Nui, the two charged the Skopio. The creature reared, preparing to strike. A shot from Kit, however, dissuaded it and bought her and Mata Nui a chance to run underneath it. It took the bait, solely focusing on the golden armored and small multi-colored runners, turning around and lunging at them with its pincers and legs. Each shot missed, but was too close for comfort. Kit and Mata Nui were already getting tired having to dodge the blows, but they both knew if they slowed down so much as one step, they'd wind up as either pieces or a pile of broken bones. "Let's split up!" Kit suggested, heading toward the canyon wall.

The Skopio, already getting tired of the little pests, readied the Thornax launcher on its back. Deciding it could handle Kit later, it aimed at Mata Nui. Kit saw what it was doing. "Mata Nui, watch it!" she shouted. The Skopio fired its launcher. Hearing the girl's warning almost too late, Mata Nui gasped at the sight over his shoulder and lifted his shield just the instant before the Thornax would've hit him. The force of the blow sent him skidding in the sand, but otherwise he was unhurt.

"Mata Nui!" Kiina called to him this time. The Glatorian was barely holding her own against the onslaught of Bone Hunters. "We're finished unless we can make it to my village!"

"Try and get to the chariot. I have an idea," he called back. Kit, who watched from above on a ledge, gaped when he ran straight back to the Skopio. 'What does that crazy former Great Spirit think he's doing?' she wondered.

The Skopio tried to crush him with its foot, but Mata Nui dodged it. When the creature lifted its leg, he quickly grabbed hold of one of the claws, letting it carry him high enough to land on its back. The Skopio looked around itself; where did that golden nuisance go? Mata Nui, meanwhile, took hold of the launcher's controls and targeted the congregation of Bone Hunters harassing Ackar and Kiina. Pulling the trigger, he fired, surprising the Skopio, as well as the Hunters. Another shot made them scatter, and the Glatorian took their chance to get to the chariot. Kiina stepped on the throttle and sped off, more Bone Hunters in pursuit. The Skopio knocked Mata Nui off, using its leg, sending him flying to the ledge where Kit waited. "I guess he doesn't like backseat drivers," she commented. Mata Nui took his sword, now glowing with power, and stabbed it into the rock. A great fissure formed, practically splitting it and taking about half of the mountainside with it. The two ran for the brink, Mata Nui grabbing hold of Kit as he took a mighty leap over the span of the chasm. They disappeared amongst the rocks.

Kiina, meanwhile, drove the chariot towards the Skopio, which was now aware that it was about to be buried in an avalanche. Heavy boulders already landed on its back, making its legs buckle. Kiina saw the gap underneath the beast was closing. "Going to be close!" she shouted, racing the vehicle straight through. The chariot, however, was not built for such a rough ride; the frame violently shook, causing bolts to snap and fly off. Thankfully it held on and the two Glatorian cleared the landslide at the last possible moment. The Bone Hunters, though, weren't able to clear it in time, winding up buried under tons of rock and Skopio.

Once the dust cleared, Kiina and Ackar let out relieved sighs. But then, Kiina realized they were short two people, "Where are-?"

"There!" Ackar pointed.

Mata Nui was holding Kit in one arm and surfing down the cliffside on his shield with the ease of an expert. Ackar and Kiina laughed at the sight; those two were just full of surprises. At the last outcropping, Mata Nui leaped high, making the shield spin, and both he and the girl landed lithely on the chariot.

"Gutsiest move I've ever seen," Ackar chuckled.

"Yes! Those Bone Hunters are going to be eating Skopio belly for weeks," Kiina cheered. "Not bad, otherworlders." Mata Nui and Kit grinned in response.

"Kiina!" Ackar said, his smile gone. Kiina and the others looked ahead.

There were a few columns of black smoke. "No!" she cried in disbelief.

"Is that . . .?" asked Mata Nui.

"Tajun. It's Kiina's village," Ackar answered, his expression grave.

Kit offered the female Glatorian a sympathetic look.


	3. Tajun

When they finally arrived, it was worse than any of them could've imagined. Flames were burning within shelters, which were collapsing, and everything was torn apart. Kiina and Kit immediately hopped off and peeked through a few buildings, but couldn't find anybody. Mata Nui, Click, and the girl gazed about, taking in the awful scene. The entire village looked like a war zone. Ackar joined them with at least one bit of good news. "Looks like the Agori got away," he said.

Kiina, however, was overcome with grief and guilt. "The village . . . our homes. . . this is my fault! I should've been here to help."

"Kiina, you couldn't have known this would happen," Kit said, trying to comfort her.

Kiina, though, didn't seem to hear her and looked around wildly. "Where's Tarix? And Gresh? We had a training session today. He's just a rookie. He wouldn't have been prepared for-"

Ackar indicated with a finger down a path, "There."

Kiina turned and gasped. Staggering out of the smoke, a figure clutched its shoulder. As it came closer, it was revealed to be a green armored Glatorian, apparently much younger than Ackar and Kiina. "Gresh!" Kiina gasped. "He's hurt."

The rookie Glatorian coughed as the group approached him. "Easy, son, easy," said Ackar, he and Mata Nui moving to support him.

"I'm fine. I'll be fine," Gresh said, though his voice was weak. He tried to take a step forward, only to have his leg give out on him. It was only the fact that Ackar and Mata Nui had hold of his arms that kept him from collapsing.

"Just shut up and let us help you," Kiina scolded.

"We need to get out of the open," said Kit. "Kiina, your cavern."

"Right. The entrance is this way," Kiina nodded, and took the lead.

"Skrall . . . Bone Hunters . . . working together," Gresh struggled to say.

"Impossible," Ackar scoffed. "They're rival tribes."

But the young Glatorian was persistent, "No, Kiina . . . I watched them destroy your village." Suddenly, Gresh just fell, losing consciousness.

"Gresh! He isn't . . ." Kiina said with concern.

"He's still alive," Ackar assured her.

"But, not for long, if that thing sees us," said Kit.

Wondering what she meant, the rest peered through the smoke below them. A giant black and green armored warrior armed with a mighty sword appeared, followed by smaller brutes and Bone Hunters. Kit did not like the sight of him at all; she could tell this guy was bad news. Kiina confirmed it, "Tuma? Leader of the Skrall?" Ackar couldn't believe what he was seeing; it was a nightmare come true.

"What the boy says is true. Bone Hunters have joined forces with the Skrall."

Knowing it was imperative that they get out before they were seen, Ackar and Mata Nui grabbed hold of Gresh and they and Kit resumed following Kiina. She led them to what seemed to be the farthest backend of the village, where they came to a dead-end. "They won't find us in here," said the Glatorian. Using her trident, she pressed a hidden lever. A large slab of stone slid aside, revealing a secret doorway.

"Cool," Kit remarked in a quiet voice as she followed the others inside.

Once there, the door closed, concealing their hideaway. For a moment, Kit couldn't see anything. Once her eyes adjusted, she followed beside Ackar and Mata Nui. "Wait," Mata Nui said, his eyes on the wall. "These glyphs, I . . ."

"Later," said Kiina. "First, we have to take care of Gresh. The cavern's just ahead."

Though the others moved along, Kit couldn't help but also cast a glance at the carvings that looked like the Voya Nuian variety of the Matoran alphabet. She traced the engraved letters with her fingertips with a sense of wonderment. What was Matoran writing doing here on a faraway planet? What was the connection between the two cultures? All of a sudden, she realized she was being left behind. "Hey, wait for me!" she called, her voice echoing in the confines of the tunnel.

When the group stopped, she almost bumped into Ackar. Before them lay a cave of mammoth proportions. It housed a lit central area that was bordered by huge curved in obelisks, each the entrance to six smaller caverns. The sight was absolutely breathtaking.

"Look at this," Ackar said in a quiet voice.

"Incredible," Mata Nui complimented.

Kit noted that each of the caverns not only glowed with different colors, but different ecosystems could be seen within them—ecosystems that resembled the standard six elements of a Toa team. From her vantage point on the ledge, she could see that there was an ocean, a volcanic wasteland, and a jungle.

"What's with all of the different environments?" she asked.

"Each chamber contains the elements that were once plentiful on the surface of Bara Magna," Kiina answered.

They proceeded down a flight of the stairs and followed an open corridor towards the center of the cavern. As they got closer, Kit discovered that not only were there three other chambers for ice, stone, and earth, but in front of each one was a stone table. "Lay him down over there," Kiina directed the two males, gesturing to one of the tables. Kit stepped in to give a little hand and together the trio carefully laid Gresh down: Ackar, his legs; Kit, his lower torso; and Mata Nui his upper body and head. Unfortunately, there was nothing more any of them could do for the young Glatorian; no one knew how to take care of his injuries. 'At least his breathing's steady. That's a good sign,' Kit thought to herself.

Suddenly, they heard a sound like something heavy falling. Ackar and Kit immediately sprang into action, Ackar brandishing his sword and Kit backing him up and warming up her fists with energy. "Show yourself!" the Glatorian demanded. When no answer came, he emphasized, "Now!" For another second, nothing happened and Ackar inched closer.

Just then, a blue armored Agori peeked around the corner, waving his hand submissively. "Okay, okay, okay, look," he said nervously. "Everything's okay, it's just me, Berix."

"You filthy little thief!" said an angry Kiina; she was definitely not happy to see this guy. She sounded like someone who found her little sibling in her room when they were not supposed to be. "I told you if I ever caught you down here again, I'd-" She swung her trident at the Agori, but Berix ducked and sidestepped behind Mata Nui.

"This place doesn't belong to you," he countered, and glanced up at his unintentional defender. "And, hey, look, I am not a thief, I am a collector."

Upon getting a closer look at Mata Nui, he noticed the Kanohi Ignika on his face. His eyes immediately lit up the way a child's did when they just found some candy or a new toy. "Ooh, I like that mask." He reached up a hand to touch it. "Can I have it? I just want to-" Kit was about to move to stop him, but Kiina beat her to it—in her own way, thus causing him to rapidly withdraw his hand.

"Come here, you!" the Glatorian commanded. She moved to get to him, but Berix ran the opposite way. She backtracked to intercept him and again attempted to slam him with her weapon.

Berix, though, managed to crawl between Mata Nui's legs. "You know I have the right to collect anything I want," argued the Agori.

"Oh, yeah?" Kiina dared.

The two continued the chase with Berix trying to keep Mata Nui between himself and the angry female Glatorian. Ackar sighed, a little disgusted, and Kit giggled out of amusement—those two were acting like children. "It's just junk nobody wants anyways," Berix tried to argue his point.

"Then why do _you_ want it?" Kiina asked.

"'Cause I like fixing things and I'm really good at it, too. I mean, c'mon, who do you think got the lights working, huh?"

"I was wondering about that," Kiina grumbled under her breath.

Hearing a clicking noise, Berix spotted Click perched on Mata Nui's shoulder, and took a step back, repulsed. "Hey, you've got a-"

"He knows," Kiina and Ackar said simultaneously.

Bending and letting her hands rest on her knees, so as to look as unintimidating as possible by being at eye-level with him, Kit asked, "Ever fixed an injured Glatorian?"

"Oh no; no way. He's not touching Gresh," Kiina said.

"The boy needs help, Kiina," Ackar pointed out to her.

"Well, I've had to patch myself up a few times," Berix replied, examining his arm—which dropped a screw. "Ooh, touchy," he chuckled, embarrassed.

"Yeah, like every time you've been pounded on for stealing," Kiina said.

Berix hopped onto the table next to Gresh. "_Collecting_! Maybe you should let me work on your ears next, Kiina."

The Agori rummaged through a pack on his waist and took out a small crude knife. Before he could start, Kiina grabbed his arm. "He better pull through. You got that?" she warned.

"Great. No pressure," Berix muttered nervously.

As Ackar gently led Kiina away, Kit placed a pleasant hand on Berix's shoulder. "Just let us know if you need any help, or anything, okay?" she said.

The Agori gazed at the girl in amazement. Though he had no idea what exactly she was, he was finding her to be quite friendly. Not many, if any, Agori treated him with respect or nicely, specifically because of his little hobby which they often mistook for thievery—or so he claimed. "Yeah, sure," he replied. Kit then rejoined the others to let Berix do his work.

Kiina, protective of the young Glatorian, still hadn't taken her eyes off of the Agori. "What if he's the traitor?" she whispered to Ackar.

"Then he'll pay," was his response; they would hurdle that obstacle when they got to it.

On his end, Mata Nui examined the cavern curiously, acting like he was trying to bring forth a memory, but couldn't. "Something wrong, Mata Nui?" Kit asked, equally curious about his behavior.

"I don't know," answered Mata Nui. "There's a familiarity about this place." 'He's been here before?' the girl wondered. 'How's that possible?'

"It must've been created by the old rulers of Bara Magna," Ackar offered as an explanation.

"Great Beings," Kiina muttered.

"The Great Beings were here?" Mata Nui asked, astonished, taking the same question out of Kit's mouth.

Kiina, however, didn't share their respect for the aforementioned deities. "'Great Destroyers' is more like it," she 'corrected' bitterly.

"Why do you speak against the Great Beings, Kiina?" Kit asked, a little taken aback by her tone and attitude.

"Because they wrecked our world, that's why," Kiina answered. She pointed with her trident towards the jungle chamber. "This was Bara Magna, before the Great Beings left us here to rot."

Kit gazed at the environment inside the chamber. If that was truly what Bara Magna had been like in some far off past, she could understand how Kiina felt. But, were the Great Beings really responsible for the planet's current condition? She had always thought of them as wise and benevolent.

"You have no proof of this, Kiina," said Ackar. "They could've just as easily wound up buried in the ruins."

"No, the Great Beings did not fall here. That much I am sure of," Mata Nui declared.

Turning, Kit discovered a giant door that had a symbol she'd recognize anywhere. It had two wavy lines flanking three dots, one larger than the other two. It was the Bionicle logo. "Kiina, what's behind this door?" she asked.

"No, idea. Never been able to get it open," Kiina answered.

"Yeah, me neither," Berix, who'd been eavesdropping, spoke over his shoulder. "But, I bet there's something good through there, huh?"

"Keep dreaming!" Kiina snapped. "And, pay attention to what you're doing, thief."

"I recognize this symbol," said Mata Nui, joining up with Kit. He reached out to touch it when the Kanohi Ignika glowed. He immediately retracted his hand and the glow faded. Looking to Kit, who nodded, he reached out again. When his hand made contact, the symbol also glowed. He pressed his palm against the stone, and a click, like that of a lock being undone, resounded. Mata Nui gasped in surprise when the door began to lower into the ground and he and the others prepared to strike should anything come out at them. Nothing did. All that was there was a staircase leading down into an antechamber. The four cautiously went in.

"Whoa," Kit said quietly at the sight.

The walls of the gigantic room were covered in more of that hexagonal writing, which glowed a neon green light. She tried to read them to see if any answers could be found in there, but found to her disappointment that she couldn't. They were written in a language, a dialect that she couldn't understand.

"What is all of this?" Ackar wondered aloud.

"It looks like this could've been some kind of laboratory," Kit guessed, considering everything that she'd seen so far.

Suddenly, Mata Nui gasped, "It cannot be."

The Glatorian and girl came running to his side. "What's wrong?" asked Ackar. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"I have."

His friends looked at the wall to see what he meant. "You know that thing?" Kiina asked. There, on the back of the stairs, were plans, a blueprint, for a robot, and a big one.

"Yes, a gigantic mechanical being," Mata Nui answered with narrowing eyes. "Just like the one now enslaving my people." 'What does he mean?' Kit thought. 'What does Teridax have to do with this robot?'

Before she could ask, Kiina said, "Wait, you think the Great Beings had something to do with it!"

"No," Mata Nui denied. "The responsibility lies on my shoulders alone. This place . . . these symbols . . . we're on the right track."

Hearing a cry from the top of the staircase, Kit ran to find Berix—barely supporting an awake Gresh. "Would someone not mind giving me hand here?" asked the Agori. Kit smiled as Mata Nui ascended the stairs.

"I'd say it's time we had a look outside," said Ackar.

The group trekked back the way they came, Kiina and Mata Nui needing to prod Gresh and Berix onward when they passed the glyphs in the entryway. Once outside, they walked carefully, keeping to the shadows, shelters, and smoke for cover. Suddenly, Ackar held up his hand, a signal to halt. Up ahead was a pair of Bone Hunters, no doubt looking for stragglers. Ackar motioned for the others to stay put and silently stalked toward them with the stealth of a tiger. The Hunters never even knew what hit them when he banged their heads together. He casually dusted his hands as they fell to the ground, unconscious.

"You have all of the fun," said Kiina. "I get the next two."

"You can have them," Ackar replied. "Let's move. We need to warn the villages about the Skrall and Bone Hunters uniting."

"And, that we've got a traitor on the inside," Kit pointed out.

Mata Nui and Berix, still supporting Gresh, followed the rest. "How are you holding up?" asked Mata Nui.

"I'm fine," Gresh assured him, emphasizing his point by taking his arm out of his grip. "Thanks to Berix."

"No problem," Berix chuckled.

"But, I could use a new weapon," said the young Glatorian. He held up a tool, or what was left of it. "Skrall shredded my blade."

"Get in line," said Kiina, looking at her trident, which had seen better days.

"I might be able to-" Berix offered, reaching for it.

Kiina, however, snatched it away. "Don't even think about it," she warned.

"I am sorry about your weapons, but Kit and I must continue our journey," Mata Nui said.

"What? You're not going to help us?" asked Gresh in disbelief.

"We're not going to help them?" Kit repeated, equally shocked.

Mata Nui placed a hand on her shoulder, "We have our own battles to fight."

"Trust me, Mata Nui," Ackar stepped up. "I've seen you fight. You're quick and have some style, but . . . you're not ready. Stay, and I'll teach you everything I know."

"Me, too?" asked Kit, a hint of eagerness not lost in her eyes.

"I suppose, if you want to, Kit, but I've seen you fight, too. You've already got some decent combat training."

"True, but I figure the more different styles you know, the better off you are as a fighter."

Click clicked both in agreement and encouragement to Mata Nui to accept the proposal. Though Mata Nui felt that the uncertain path to his destiny was one he had to travel alone—not even Kit could accompany him—he had to admit that Bara Magna was abundant with unknown perils. Yet, in spite of that, he'd already found friends who would gladly and willingly fight beside him, a rare treasure on this world. 'Having done that, can I really go back to being alone again?' he wondered.

Turning back to Ackar, his eyes said the answer for him. Ackar smiled, then a thought came to him. "Wait, what you did with the Vorox tail and Click. Could it work with these?" He and the other Glatorian held up their weapons, all either broken or dulled and in desperate need of being replaced after being used for who-knew-how-long after countless battles.

"I don't know," Mata Nui shrugged. He held up a hand to the Ignika. "This mask gave me new life, but I still don't completely understand its power. I think it only works on things that are—or _were_—alive."

"That, or were a part of something that was—or _is_—alive," Kit added, thinking of the Vorox Mata Nui's blade came from.

"No problem," said Berix. "Most Glatorian weapons are made of bone or claw."

"'Collected' a few, have you?" Kiina asked suspiciously.

"So funny," Berix answered, chuckling sarcastically.

"It's worth a try," Mata Nui conceded as he received Ackar's sword. "Together, as one mind," he said softly, lifting the blade to his brow. As if obeying his command, the mask glowed, as did the sword.

"It's working," Kiina observed in awe.

When the glow was gone, the sword was a larger and more powerful looking and even had a flame design in its core. "Sweet," Kit complimented. Ackar received his sword back and examined its quality with admiration.

When he hefted it up, it glowed red and released a stream of fire into the sky. "Whoa, what in the . . ." Ackar gasped in shock.

"Of course," said Mata Nui with realization. "Fire is your elemental power. It's the heart of your tribe. The Mask of Life has simply ignited it. You have become a true Toa."

Ackar capped his hand on Mata Nui's shoulder, "Thank you, friend."

Mata Nui looked at Ackar's hand, intrigued. "Strange," he said.

"What is?" asked Kit.

"I have worn many titles, been called a lot of things, but never "friend"," Mata Nui answered, capping Ackar's shoulder.

"Me next!" Kiina declared eagerly, holding out her trident.


	4. Newfound Unity

Over the next two days, true to his promise, Ackar schooled Mata Nui and Kit to hone their fighting skills. To their surprise, the first wasn't about moves and techniques, but rather about observing your opponent. Ackar demonstrated this by predicting which way a bird he'd been watching for several minutes was going to turn. To both pupils' surprise, he was right when it turned left.

"How did you know it was going to do that?" asked Kit.

"I noticed a subtle shift in its right wing just before it'd turn in that direction," answered the Glatorian. "You can use the same trick to guess what your opponent's next move's going to be, once you get a handle on how he fights."

After that, he had Kit and Mata Nui spar both him and each other to practice the technique. Unfortunately, Mata Nui was still having problems getting the hang of it and, though she grasped the concept alright and managed to attempt to utilize her observations, Kit had trouble, too. "Take your time, Mata Nui. Don't be in a rush to charge in before you have an idea what you're against," Ackar said to the former Great Spirit. Turning to the girl he said, "As I said, Kit, you've already got sufficient skills and have good instincts, but you still have room for improvement."

Later, he took them to a high peak where they encountered a wild rock steed. Ackar explained to them that the beasts were useful to the Agori, once tamed. Personally, Kit wasn't sure if it was such a good idea when she saw how big the creature was up close, the stinger on its tail, its powerful looking legs, and its sharp teeth. But, she trusted that Ackar knew what he was doing, so she forced herself to go along with it. At first, it looked like their plan was working; they had the beast cornered and were about to subdue it. However, the steed had other ideas. It lunged and struck at Ackar, rendering him unconscious and defenseless. Mata Nui and Kit instantly jumped to the plate, getting the animal's attention focused on them and away from the downed Glatorian.

After a few minutes of trial-and-error fighting, Mata Nui discovered a pattern in its moves—and a hope of defeating it. "Watch its body language!" he called to Kit. "If it reaches its head back, it's going to bite. If it crouches halfway, it's going to use its tail. Right foot to the left, left foot to the right." Kit nodded, telling him that she got it and prepared herself. The steed leaned its head back; it was getting ready to lunge with its teeth. Ready, she summoned a shield to block it. By working together, the two drove it off and it vanished amongst the rocks.

Kit whooped in victory as she shared a fist-butt with Mata Nui; they did it. Hearing clapping, they quickly spun to find a perfectly alright Ackar applauding.

"You pretended to be hurt?" Mata Nui asked in disbelief.

"Sorry, but it was the only way to get you two to learn," the Glatorian apologized. "And you did better than I had hoped by sharing info and teaming up."

"Thanks—I think," Kit said with a cocked eyebrow and skeptical smile.

"But, if you ever pull a stunt like that again . . . I'll throw you off this cliff," Mata Nui warned. The three shared a good laugh, one that echoed throughout the cliffs.

* * *

><p>The next day, while Mata Nui and the Glatorian trained together, Berix taught Kit how to drive the chariot—or at least tried to. "Right! No, left! No, the other left!" the Agori cried as the girl worked the controls. 'If there's one thing I've learned about driving these things, it's that it's not as easy as it looks,' Kit thought nervously to herself as she fought to keep the vehicle from tipping over or crashing. She got the thing started ok, but, for some reason, she was finding it difficult to control. "Look out!" Berix shouted, pointing at a large boulder they were heading straight for. Acting out of nothing short of instinct, Kit slammed on the brakes and veered the chariot to the right. The vehicle protested against its momentum with a loud squeal, but otherwise skidded to a stop with only a couple of feet to spare.<p>

Both riders stared at the boulder in shock as if they couldn't believe their luck. "Maybe we better wait until I'm . . . uh . . . older," Kit suggested. Berix concurred with a shaky nod. After that bit of excitement, Kit found some shade amid some large rocks where she sat and took a swig from her canteen. 'I sure can't wait until we get to this Tesara place,' she thought to herself, wiping sweat from her brow. 'This desert heat makes California's hottest summer feel like a balmy day.'

Suddenly, she heard some noises a little distance behind her. Cautiously, she approached a small dune. Down below was what looked like a miniature Vorox, a Zesk Berix and the Glatorian said it was called. According to them, after the catastrophe known as the Shattering that left Bara Magna the way it was, after hundreds of years, the mental state of the members of the Sand tribe had regressed to the point where they were little more than beasts, which explained their behavior. The Zesk was struggling to free itself from some cords that were entangled tightly around its body and limbs. 'A Bone Hunter trap,' Kit recognized with narrowed eyes; Ackar and Gresh told her how the nomadic bandits captured Zesk and Vorox to use them either for target practice or in canned hunts as their definition of fun. She knew what she was thinking was one of the craziest things she ever thought, but she couldn't just leave the poor creature there like that.

Kit carefully walked down the slope, taking extra care not to trip in the sand. Lucky for her, the sun cast shadows towards her and she was facing the Zesk's back; it had no idea she was there. But then it looked over its shoulder, spotting her. It shrieked and hissed in a panic, fighting to get away. Kit pinned it underneath her. "Calm down, calm down," she said gently. "I'm not going to hurt you." Soon, the Zesk stopped struggling and looked curiously, though nervously, up at her; this strange Agori's tone and touch seemed friendly enough, but could she really be trusted? "Easy, easy," Kit soothed. "It's ok. You're ok." Taking a closer look at the binds, she saw that as long as the Zesk didn't move there was just enough slack to slip them off. It was long and arduous work, considering she had to keep the thing from freaking out again, but she finally got the last line on its left arm off. However, it was then that she made a disturbing discovery—there was a nasty-looking bloody wound from where the cord broke through. If nothing was done about it, it could get infected. But Kit didn't have any supplies.

Looking around, she spied a familiar plant. Though she never had much of a green thumb, she recognized it as the one Berix mentioned he used to heal Gresh. The Agori said it had very effective healing properties. She plucked it and rubbed the leaves in her hands to release the juices. "This might sting a little, but only for a minute," she told her 'patient', and wrapped the leaves around the wound. The Zesk gave a little hiss of pain and flinched, but otherwise didn't protest. To further secure them, she took a piece of cloth and tied it around. The Zesk flexed its fingers and gently placed a little weight on its injured limb experimentally, admiring Kit's handiwork. "Well, what do you think?" asked the girl. The Zesk scampered up the dune, as if beginning to leave. But at the lip, it turned and regarded her with trusting eyes. Then, it was gone. "Take care now," she called and, seeing it was starting to get dark, she rushed back to the others.

Back at camp, everyone was getting ready to head out when Kiina asked where Kit was. Gresh spotted her running towards them.

"What have you been up to?" asked Mata Nui.

"Just helping out a Zesk caught in a Bone Hunter trap," she answered. The Glatorian gave her a look like they were all silently asking, "You did what?"

"Has anyone seen Click?" Mata Nui inquired. Apparently, the little beetle had vanished from its perch on his shoulder.

Hearing a familiar clicking of pincers, Kit looked to find the scarabax on a nearby rock. Reaching up her hand, Click crawled down her arm to her shoulder. "I normally don't like bugs, but for cuter specimens like you, I can make an exception." The insect clicked contentedly as she gently scratched under his lower pincer and behind his head with the side-edge of her finger. Once Kit had boarded and Click was back on Mata Nui's shoulder, Berix stepped on the gas.

* * *

><p>Some time later, after dark, Gresh inspected his new, improved weapon. He groaned, unable to take it anymore. "Unfair. I score this clawed-out new blade, Mata Nui and Kit tell me I've got awesome Toa powers—whatever those are—but none of you will even let me test them out."<p>

"You mean, like this?" Kiina asked with a grin.

She leaped high into the air with an excited yell and fired three high-powered jets of water from her new trident. The streams hit a large boulder so hard, it was sent flying and landed right in the path of the chariot. Berix skid it to a stop and Gresh disembarked.

"Aw, c'mon! Just a little test?" the young Glatorian begged.

"Patience is the first lesson at becoming a great Glatorian," Ackar said.

"Oh, I think this is pretty great," Kiina said as she twirled her trident and fired another shot of water.

Deciding to join in, Ackar leaped and intercepted her water with the fire from his sword. Kiina increased the power behind her element in response, and Ackar did the same. With both Glatorian trying to get past each other's defenses, the scene of fire and water reminded Kit of Tahu and Gali and how those two always argued, playfully or otherwise, about whose element was stronger. "Guess it's a standoff," said Kiina when it became apparent that their powers seemed equally matched. Suddenly, a blast of sand interrupted the stream of fire and water.

Ackar and Kiina discovered it to be the work of Gresh, who was directing a gust of wind from his new weapon at the sand. "Looks like I can blow you both away," he laughed.

"Better yet, why not combine them?" asked Kiina.

"Enough!" Ackar called, getting everyone's attention. "There's more to winning than fancy weapons. And let me tell you, Mata Nui here isn't the only one who could use a few tips. Gresh, you're brave and have a lot of raw talent, but that'll only get you so far. Kiina, I saw your last match with Vastus. You let your guard down and he almost took your head off." Berix burst out laughing; Kiina sure got a talking to as far as he was concerned. He stopped, however, when Kiina upsided him off the chariot. Ackar, though, wasn't finished. "Stop it both of you. Pay attention and you might actually learn something—like this!"

He slashed at Mata Nui with his sword and Mata Nui tried to block it with his own blade. Unprepared, the force behind the blow was powerful enough to knock him back several feet, bumping into Kiina and sending Click flying off his shoulder. "Learn to read your opponent's next move _before_ it happens," Ackar pointed out.

It was then that Kiina noticed Click on her arm and eyed him warily. "I'm warning you, I'll bite back."

"Will you relax, Kiina," said Kit. "He's not doing anything."

Before Kiina could reply, Ackar picked up Click by his shell in a pincer grasp. Click clicked his pincers angrily in response. "Study their fighting style," Ackar instructed. "Find their weakness, then use it against them." With a toss he passed Click over to Mata Nui, who caught him. The insect instantly scurried up to his master's shoulder and, turning to Ackar, extended his pincers, as if in a guard stance. "If you can," Ackar belatedly added.

Kit giggled, "I don't think he liked that too much."

* * *

><p>The next day, the crew continued on their way through the desert. Because the heat made her drowsy, Kit ended up dozing off, despite the shaky ride. If this nap was any indication, Berix could've sworn the girl was actually capable of sleeping through an earthquake. This went on for about half an hour until the girl felt someone gently shaking her shoulder. She woke to find Mata Nui kneeling over her.<p>

"Are we there yet?" she asked, her voice a little groggy.

"Almost," he answered.

Kit stretched her shoulders, arms, and spine as best as she could, considering her position. "How are you able to even sleep on a ride like this?" Berix asked.

"Don't know," Kit shrugged. "I just . . . can."

"Where are we?" Mata Nui inquired.

"Twin villages of Tesara, Gresh's home, just over this dune," Ackar replied.

Looking ahead as they drove over the dune, they saw a giant patch of green, like someone took a plot of jungle and just placed it there. The things that really caught Kit's attention were the two tree stumps. 'There's no way my world's tallest trees can possibly hold a candle to these monsters,' she thought to herself. Estimating their bases' circumferences to easily encompass two football fields, they seemed like redwoods on steroids to her. Once within the boundaries of the village, a canopy of leaves and vines nearly blocked out the sky and vine or rope bridges could be seen high above the ground. The place not only reminded Kit of Le-Koro, only a hundred times bigger, it also felt like a rainforest. With the green and sunlight peeking through gaps in the canopy, it was beautifully stunning. "It's good to be home," Gresh commented as he jumped off once the chariot stopped.

Cheers could be heard resonating from somewhere up ahead that appeared to be an arena. "Ooh, sounds like a Glatorian battle's about to start," the rookie remarked with excitement in his voice.

"Not if I can help it," Ackar said grimly, making everyone wonder what he meant or had in mind.

Nevertheless, they followed the veteran towards the stands where they found Metus and the village elders. The Iconox promoter was making some comments about the latest match when he spotted the group approaching. "What a surprise! Welcome, old friends! Isn't this great? A sold-out crowd!"

"It's over," Ackar declared firmly.

"Over? What is he talking about, Metus?" Raanu asked, perplexed at his village Glatorian's behavior.

Metus chuckled nervously with a shrug and turned back to Ackar. "Ackar, with all due respect, you have no authority here. And, besides, you're too late."

Kit and the others looked down at the arena, where the Agori were pulling back curtains of vines and foliage to reveal the green and blue Glatorian combatants, Vastus and Tarix. They were indeed already too late. The two warriors first fired their Thornax launchers, then tossed their weapons away to duke it out the old fashioned way. Having seen enough, Ackar jumped onto the railing. "Fighting between Glatorian must stop!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the arena. "Our real enemy is out there in the desert, amassing as I speak!"

Metus immediately grabbed hold of the Glatorian's foot and tried, though futilely, to pull at it. "Wait! What are you doing?" the promoter asked worriedly. Though Ackar may have seen better days, Metus knew that his fellow Glatorian still respected him. If they listened to any argument he had against the Glatorian system, who knew what might happen. Unfortunately, the crowd in the stands was not in a listening mood.

"Mind your own business, you old fool!"

"Yeah, sit down!"

As for Tarix and Vastus, the clamoring caught their attention and they halted their battle; they both knew Ackar well and knew he wouldn't cause a disturbance unless it was important.

"Silence!" Tarix called, holding up his hand. "Let him talk."

"I agree," said Vastus. "Speak, Ackar."

"Thank you, Vastus, and you, Tarix," the veteran warrior commented, then continued. "Listen to me, everyone. The Bone Hunters and Skrall have formed an alliance."

Murmurs of fear and disbelief could be heard from the stands. From what she'd seen so far and heard of Bara Magna, Kit could imagine that, to the Agori, what Ackar said was as bad as their worst possible nightmare coming true, if not worse than that. Kiina then stepped up to the plate. "It's true. They destroyed our village, Tarix."

The male Tajun Glatorian lowered his helmet's mouthpiece in shock. "Impossible . . . I should've been there. I knew this match was a bad idea—I told Metus it was—but Tajun needed the food that was at stake here. Now, you tell me there is no Tajun."

Gresh chose that moment to stand beside Kiina and Ackar. "Kiina speaks the truth. Tajun is gone and it's just the beginning."

"We must unite as well, not fight each other!" Ackar stressed. "Time is running out!"

The Agori, however, didn't share Ackar's ideals. Since many of them had seen what Skrall and Bone Hunters were capable of, they didn't believe they'd stand a chance.

"There's no way we can stand up to the Bone Hunters."

"The Skrall are too powerful."

"Calm yourselves! Your village leaders know what is best for you!" Raanu cried in an effort to pacify the crowd's concerns. "We will do as we always have."

"Your old ways will not work anymore," Mata Nui countered. "You face a united army now."

"He's right," Kit concurred. She too was unable to restrain herself and keep quiet, especially in light of what was happening. "This army is no longer satisfied with simply pillaging your homes and chasing you to the ends of the world. They will not rest until every single Agori on Bara Magna is dead!"

"This is crazy! Let's just think. It can't be as bad as it seems," Metus exclaimed. "Maybe . . . maybe the Skrall and Bone Hunters just happened to hit Tajun at the same time, and there is no alliance. We could be getting worked up over nothing."

"Nothing? You call the destruction of my village nothing?" Tarix cried, obviously ticked off. "Be glad you are not a Glatorian, Metus, or I would have your head for that."

Metus shifted his eyes towards his shoulder upon hearing someone say, "Oooh," in an impish kind of way, someone he strongly suspected was Kit.

"We have no weapons," said Raanu, looking almost frantic. "How can we fight back?"

Deciding he'd had it, Ackar thrust his sword into the air with a shout, "Enough!" A stream of fire surged upward towards the atmosphere from the weapon and lasted for several minutes before the Glatorian shut it off.

Needless to say, things were now so quiet in the stadium one would be able to hear a pebble drop. "Yeah, we kind of thought that might get your attention," Kiina grinned.

"Toa Mata Nui and his friend, Kit, have offered to help us build up our defenses," Ackar offered.

"Why should we trust these strangers?" Raanu asked suspiciously.

'This coming from someone who a few days ago was interested in having Mata Nui be his village's new First Glatorian,' Kit almost said aloud, but held her tongue upon Mata Nui's subtle insistence. They were not natives to Bara Magna and the Agori had lived tough lives for centuries. Trust had to be earned and, even in best of times here, it was not going to come easy.

Ackar, though, had an idea. "Tarix, give Mata Nui your weapon."

The Tajun fighter looked uncertainly at his blade, then at Vastus. Vastus nodded, and, with a mighty swing of his arm, Tarix tossed the blade to Ackar, who handed it to Mata Nui. "What are you going to do?" Tarix asked, still wondering if what he did was wise.

"Show you the power you already possess," assured Mata Nui, and he brought the weapon up to his brow.

Much like back at Tajun, in a flash of light, it was transformed. "I don't believe it," Tarix said almost under his breath. Ackar handed him back the blade and he held it up to examine it, as well as to let the whole stadium see. Not only did it look better than new, it was also more ornate and powerful looking. Even its edge was shaped like waves of water. "It's . . . it's incredible."

"What more proof do you need?" Ackar addressed the crowd. "The time to unite the villages has come."

The Agori in the stands cheered their support, but Raanu was still not convinced; there was still one matter to discuss. "No! Wait, wait!" he called. Once the crowd quieted down, he turned to Ackar. "If we agree, do the Glatorian and Mata Nui swear to stay and protect us?"

"You do not need to ask for the allegiance of the Glatorian," replied Ackar, then he turned to Mata Nui and Kit. "But we cannot speak for you two. I won't pretend I have anything left to teach you, but I'll ask, as a friend. Help us."

"Then as friends . . . we will stay," answered Mata Nui.

He and Kit proudly stepped up beside the veteran Glatorian as the crowd began to resume their cheering and Tarix and Vastus rose up their weapons, the feeling of newfound unity spreading. Mata Nui placed Kit on his shoulder, he and the Glatorian joined hands, and raised them up with a cry, "We fight together!"


	5. The Kidnapping

With no time to waste, the rest of the day was spent getting the defenses of Tesara prepared. Crude but effective stone walls were erected, Thornax launchers were mounted, and pit traps were dug. Taking a quick breather and wiping sweat off her forehead, Kit asked Ackar, "What makes you so sure the Skrall are going to strike here next?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense. As soon as we saw the Bone Hunters working with them, a lot of things began to make sense."

"Like what?"

"The Bone Hunters began targeting Tajun not long ago. Raiding trade caravans, killing Agori, doing everything they could to cut the village off from the rest of Bara Magna. Tajun sits on an oasis, so they run the water trade. You hurt them, you hurt everyone."

"That does make sense," agreed Mata Nui.

"After Tajun, what village has the most valuable resource? Iconox, to the north. They have a huge deposit of exsidian."

"Exsidian?" questioned Kit.

"A metal that resists wear even in the worst of sandstorms, which is very handy in the desert. That's why it's much prized for use in weapons. If the Skrall want to eliminate our ability to fight back, that's the most logical place to strike."

"'Cause then whereas you would have to resort to less durable materials if you needed new weapons, the Skrall could use the exsidian to make superior ones for themselves, giving them the edge."

"Exactly."

"But, how does Tesara fit into all of that?"

"It lies right between those two villages. Though the Skrall-Bone Hunter legion will want Iconox now that they have Tajun, they can't afford to leave Tesara sitting behind their lines. They'll be out to destroy it before they move on to Iconox."

The veteran warrior smiled at the nervous expression on the girl's face and patted a hand to her shoulder reassuringly; that was why they were fortifying the village as best they could and none of the Glatorian had any intention of letting their enemies have the village without a fight. The trio then turned to the sound of a triumphant shout from the other Glatorian. The walls were finished and the pit traps were ready. "The Skrall will never know what hit them," Gresh proclaimed. 'I truly hope not,' Mata Nui thought nervously to himself. 'But are the Skrall saying and thinking the same thing about us?'

* * *

><p>Later, as night began to fall, Kiina was heading towards the borders of the village to report for guard duty—not her favorite thing—when she thought she heard Gresh's voice. It was coming from the arena. Curious, she decided to investigate. As she approached, she heard hoof beats and possibly some familiar snorting. She found the young Glatorian in the arena. "That's it, keep it steady," he called. In the other half of the arena, Kit was riding a sand stalker at a trot and making it turn, stop, and go in no particular pattern. The girl had an excited grin on her face and stroked the animal's neck.<p>

"Giving our young human friend riding lessons?" Kiina inquired, making Gresh jump.

"I thought it couldn't hurt."

"She seems to be doing really well, so far."

"Yeah, she's got a real knack for it. I'll bet she'll be jumping and galloping before we know it."

"Just don't push her too fast. Sand stalkers can be dangerous to those who are inexperienced in handling them, you know."

The clip-clop of hooves refocused their attention on Kit, who was now having the steed walk to them. "How'd I do?" she asked Gresh.

"Pretty good for a beginner. You're a natural."

"Well, I have had some experience in riding animals."

The animal nickered contentedly in response to the gentle pat on its shoulder. "Well, I've got to get back to my post," Kiina said. "I'll catch you guys later." As the female Glatorian departed, Gresh helped Kit down from the sand stalker and the girl led it back to the stables. After making sure it was secure, she stroked the friendly beast's face and took off towards a clearing where Ackar was sharing some fighting strategies and moves with the others. As everyone trained and sparred, the last remaining rays of sunlight quickly receded into the darkness of night. Aside from some bird and insect calls and the occasional howl of a dune fox somewhere in the distance, it was quiet.

"And this is how you block a Certavus double-strike," instructed Ackar after he demonstrated the defensive move that he mentioned took him years to master. Recovering from their amazement, the rest of the gang tried it for themselves. Although, after several tries, Kit thought to herself, 'There's no way I, for one, am going to be able to master this.' She noticed that Tarix seemed to be the only person who had the agility to even come close to duplicating the technique. "Still, I doubt I'll be able to master it without lots of practice," he commented.

"Ackar! Mata Nui!" Metus interrupted as he came in at a run. "The Skrall have kidnapped Kiina and Berix!"

"What? How?" Kit asked, shocked.

"I saw them being dragged away through the hot springs," Raanu reported, breathless.

"We must go after them, before they get too far," said Mata Nui.

"I'm going with you," Gresh volunteered. He held up his previously injured arm, "My wound's healed. I'm ready!"

"And you can definitely count me in, too," Kit said with conviction in her voice.

"No, you can't leave us!" Raanu protested. "This is just what the Bone Hunters want. They'll lead you away, then wipe us out like they did in Tajun village." The surrounding crowd voiced their agreement, begging the warriors to stay.

"I understand your fear, but we cannot turn our backs on our friends," Mata Nui said, trying to placate the Agori.

"Kiina's just one Glatorian, and the other's a worthless thief," Raanu pointed out, to which the crowd agreed.

"Collector," Kit corrected—and in a tone that gave Raanu the feeling that he may have just slightly touched a nerve he shouldn't have.

"No one is worth sacrificing, no matter how small," Mata Nui also countered. "We stand by each other, as a team."

"So, you would leave us defenseless?" asked Raanu.

Mata Nui shook his head, "I was once forced to abandon my own people. I will not do it again. The Glatorian and Kit will remain here, in case the Skrall and Bone Hunters do try something. I will go . . . alone."

"Say what?" asked Kit, looking at Mata Nui like he'd suggested she ride a rock steed.

Gresh and Ackar joined her, saying that Mata Nui couldn't possibly face the enemy alone; it would be suicide. But the former Great Spirit was adamant about his decision, silencing their protests with a firm look in his eyes; his mind was made up and there was no talking him out of it. "We will see each other again," he vowed, and left the group.

As she watched his retreating back, Kit could hardly believe it. He wanted her to stay behind at the village while was going to take on an entire army all by himself? 'Crazy,' she thought to herself.

* * *

><p>When dawn came, the rising sunlight glistened on Mata Nui's golden armor. He had been standing on one of the petrified tree stumps of Tesara, meditating, psychologically preparing himself for what he was going to set out to do. His reflection was disturbed by the sound of hard panting. Turning behind him, he found Kit leaning on the tree for support. "Finally . . . I made it," she breathed. "I've mastered the stairs." Mata Nui chuckled in amusement as she forced her legs to carry her to him. Finally near the edge, they gave out on account of her exhaustion. Deciding to cut to the chase, she asked him something that had been on her mind for the past several hours.<p>

"So what's the deal?"

"About what?"

"About me staying here instead of going with you?"

"I'm sorry that you find that disappointing, Kit, but it's too dangerous."

"More dangerous than taking on something like Teridax, Visorak, Piraka, Barraki, a small squadron of Makuta, Darcius, _and_ Mirna?"

Mata Nui hated to admit it, but the girl did have a bit of a point. She had shared with him stories of her adventures with the Toa Nuva, Metru, and Mahri and told him of Mirna's attempts to posses the Kanohi Ignika.

"That's another thing. Mirna has to know by now that the Mask of Life—_your_ mask—is here, and believe me, she's not going to stop until she either gets what she came for or dies trying. Plus, with you and it here, this reality's story has reached a critical point, one that can't afford to be messed with. All she needs is the right opportunity—you on your own—and then wham! She takes you down."

"I understand your concern for me young one, which is why I ask that you understand my own for you and everyone else."

Kit was so touched by Mata Nui's words that she didn't get the chance to rebut before Ackar showed up. "I thought I might find you two up here."

Mata Nui turned to his friend, "Thank you, Ackar . . . for everything."

"I should be thanking you, both of you," the Glatorian corrected, shaking his head. Mata Nui and Kit gave him odd, questioning looks. "I'd lost faith in others . . . and myself. I'd begun to think I no longer had a true purpose—until you two showed up." He then showed Mata Nui a piece of rolled up parchment. "Here. This might help." Ackar unrolled the paper, revealing it to be a map of Bara Magna. "My guess is they'll be here, at the Skrall camp," said Ackar, pointing out a spot to the northeast labeled 'Roxtus'. "Berix might not be a valuable prisoner, but Kiina is."

"Why?" asked Kit.

"Because, out of all of us, she's the only one to ever come close to defeating a Skrall in the arena. They'll make her the 'star' of their matches . . . before they kill her." Mata Nui and Kit could hear in his voice what Ackar was not telling them. Kiina meant a lot to him.

'This has got to be very tough for him, having no choice but to entrust her safety to someone else,' Kit thought to herself. She personally didn't like the idea anymore than he did, but there were no other alternatives. Relations with the Agori were precarious, at best. If they didn't outright rebel, they would just up and surrender to the Skrall.

"I'll have you know that Kit's not the only who wishes they could go with you," Ackar said to Mata Nui. Seeing the girl give him a defensive look, he held up his open hands in defense. "I know, I know, you're ready. Both of you. The question is, are they?"

Down below, hundreds upon hundreds of Agori of Tesara were working together, using a pulley system to combine the two massive shelters of the village via dune chariots and their own strength. It was tough work, but it was agreed that combining the shelters would make it harder for the village to be taken out by an enemy 'divide and conquer' attack.

"Uniting these two villages is a strong start," Mata Nui complimented.

"Let's just hope the rest of the villages survive long enough to join us," pointed out Ackar.

Suddenly, the Glatorian grabbed hold of Kit's arm and launched a jab at Mata Nui. Both Mata Nui and Kit moved as quickly as lightning. First, Mata Nui stopped Ackar's fist with his hand. Then, Kit reacted by twisting his arm into a wristlock. Ackar grunted a bit out of discomfort, but was otherwise unhurt. "You've learned well, friends," he chuckled as Kit released him.

"What can we say?" Kit asked, smiling. "We had good teachers."

A thunderous boom resonating from the desert signaled that the villagers' efforts were successful. The two shelters were now one. "The villages have been linked," Ackar remarked.

"Betchya that'll make any Skrall think twice before he even thinks he can just waltz in here and do what he wants," Kit smirked.

For Mata Nui, the event had a deeper effect. "Incredible," he said, eyes wide in wonder and amazement.

"What is it?" Ackar asked.

"I will explain later," was Mata Nui's simple reply, and he descended down the staircase.

After watching him leave, Ackar turned to Kit in silent hope that she might be able to offer some clue. The girl, though, only shrugged; she didn't know what was up with him either. True, combining the two halves of Tesara was an inspiring sight, but neither one thought of it as that 'incredible'.

"Do you think he'll be ok?" Kit asked as she gazed out towards the desert.

"We can only hope," replied Ackar.

Somehow though, Kit had a nagging suspicion that Mata Nui was going to need more than just hope alone. While the Glatorian took his leave, she took another hard look at the linked villages, hoping to see what caught Mata Nui's interest so much. Following the ridge of one half, she saw that when it was moved, it disturbed the rock and earth under which it was buried, causing it to collapse. Following it further down, she could see large pillars sticking up at odd angles from a large, flat metal surface. Realizing what she was seeing, she rubbed her eyes and looked again in disbelief.

* * *

><p>Out in the desert, Mata Nui made his way towards Roxtus. If he was nervous and having second thoughts about what he'd set out to do, he didn't show it. 'Besides, it's too late to turn back now,' he thought to himself; he'd gone too far to quit.<p>

He was thinking about what he might encounter at the Skrall camp when a frantic clicking on his shoulder caught his attention. "Click, what's the matter?" Mata Nui asked, perplexed at the scarabax's agitated behavior. The beetle responded by continuing to click and chirp as if in a panic and looking like he wanted to get away, wanted his master to follow his lead. Though Mata Nui was still unsure of what had gotten into Click, he could tell something had disturbed the scarabax a great deal, as if he could sense something that Mata Nui couldn't, and he was desperately trying to tell him something.

Just then, a sudden chill made Mata Nui shiver involuntarily. 'Strange,' he thought. 'Where did that cold come from, and in the middle of the blazing heat of the desert?' Noticing Click was shaking, Mata Nui grabbed hold of his sword and scanned his surroundings. The beetle summoned up the courage to join in, transforming into his shield form. Several tense seconds ticked by and Mata Nui couldn't see anything except sand, sand, and more sand. However, he could not only sense a heaviness in the air that just seemed born of evil intentions, there was also the unsettling feeling of being observed, of being stalked like he was nothing more or less than prey.

He whirled around to his backside, sword slicing through open air—and just over an arched humanoid form, the tip just barely missing its chin. Its lower half transformed into a smoke-like substance and it moved a safe distance out of Mata Nui's reach. Mata Nui studied his attacker with a keen eye. She was lithe and nimble, wore a red dress, and had long, wavy red hair. For the briefest of seconds, because of the similarities between her and Kit, he wondered if this was another human. However, the light green skin color was a dead give away as to who she must be.

"You're Mirna, aren't you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"How did you know?"

"Kit's told me a lot about you."

"I should've guessed as much from that little brat."

"I also know why you're here. Whatever your vile ambition, you will not have the Kanohi Ignika."

Mirna sneered, "With all due respect 'Great Spirit', you don't have a choice in the matter."

Dark energy bolts flew from her fingertips, but Mata Nui jumped to the side and onto a rock. With a mighty leap, he lifted his sword over his head, taking aim at her. Mirna dodged as well, the blade slamming into the ground with a soft clang. Again, Mirna fired her bolts, but this time Mata Nui used his shield. His feet skidded a little from the force of the hit, but otherwise he held his ground. Getting an idea, he charged right into her, knocking her away. Mirna fell to the ground slightly winded—and angry. "That wasn't very nice," she said quietly.

Deciding to take the gloves off, she shifted completely into her smoke form and charged at Mata Nui before he could react. He suddenly felt a freezing chill so cold his breath felt like it was sucked out of his lungs. He collapsed to the ground, fighting to breathe in much needed air. Taking advantage of his moment of weakness, Mirna rematerialized and used more bolts on him. For probably the first time in his existence, Mata Nui screamed in agony. "Interesting," said Mirna, "even 'spirits' can feel pain."

Seeing that she was kneeling next to him, Mata Nui fought to get up, but every move seemed to burn like he was on fire. He pushed himself to move anyway, despite the pain, but it was apparent he wasn't going to be able to mount a defense in time to stop her. "Finally. It took a while, but that mask is mine," she said with a wickedly satisfied smile.

Just when her fingers were about to grasp the Ignika, Mirna was suddenly shoved hard and away and was replaced by a pair of legs in tan colored leggings and blue metallic armor. Looking up, Mata Nui saw, to his astonishment, who his rescuer was. "Figured you could use a hand," Kit grinned at him, holding a thumb up.

Mirna, enraged at this latest foil, launched her energy bolts. Moving quickly, Kit summoned a shield and used it to shove the force of the attack back at its wielder. Mirna reeled at the counter, stunned. Seizing her chance, Kit got a running start and sent Mirna into a rock with a flying sidekick. The girl rushed in again, this time with a powered up fist. Mirna, just seeing it in the nick of time, stepped to the side, allowing the fist to meet rock instead. A large portion of the boulder was blasted into smithereens and dust. Kit belatedly pulled the scarf over her lower face after coughing a little as she scanned through her visor for any sign of Mirna.

Just as the dust was starting to clear, she suddenly felt herself blown back and receiving a nasty shock treatment. She wheezed when her backside slammed into something unforgivingly hard and felt a slight hint of weightlessness before hitting the ground. She groaned as she sat there for a minute, fighting to stay conscious. When her wits finally returned, it was in time to find Mirna right in front of her and ready to assume smoke form. Kit instantly had her hands out in front of her and fired two energy balls at point blank range. Mirna shrieked as a result of the attack, as she was thrown back, landing with a hard thud on the sand. Kit, meanwhile, scrambled to her feet and reached Mata Nui's side.

Mirna struggled up and prepared another flurry of bolts, but Kit was ready. Reaching up and lacing her fingers together, she launched a spirit burst. The spirit burst hit its target dead on, sending Mirna back onto the sand. Kit kept her narrowed eyes on her opponent, waiting to see what would come next. Mirna, though, simply groaned as she fought to lift her head; that was the most severe punishment she'd been dealt yet. As much as she hated to retreat—again—she was in no condition to continue. She glared at the girl with tired, hate-filled eyes that gave a silent promise of return before letting her essence drift away in the breeze. Breathing a sigh of relief, Kit helped the recovering Mata Nui to his feet.

"Not that I'm not grateful for your timely assistance, young friend, but I thought I told you to stay at the village."

"I did . . . for fifteen minutes."

Mata Nui sighed, "Kit, please, go back. This doesn't involve you."

Kit, however, looked him in the eye and said calmly, "Actually it does, Mata, because first of all, Kiina and Berix are my friends, too. So, as far as I'm concerned, this does involve me and all of those who care about them. Second, I have a stake in this, too, because I'm responsible for seeing to it that you still have a people to rescue. Third, Mirna may be defeated, but she's liable to be back sooner or later, and with every intention of finishing what she started. I know you saw it in her eyes as I did; she's getting more serious about this than she's ever been. Besides . . ." The girl took a moment to cross her arms in front of her chest. "I'm here and I'm staying."

Mata Nui couldn't help but feel a little admiration for Kit. She now seemed so wise for one so young, compared to the average lifespan of a Matoran. Of course, he felt some exasperation as well. Why did she have to make things more difficult by being so stubborn? He didn't want to do what he was now thinking because he didn't want her to get hurt—or worse. But, he felt he knew the girl well enough that it was the only option if he was going to be allowed to continue. "Very well. You've already come this far; you might as well come with me," he said with defeat in his voice, though Kit was sure she also heard a hint of relief as well. With that settled, the two resumed their way towards the earth village.


	6. Treachery Revealed

Author's Note: I just want to apologize in advance if anyone, for any reason, takes offense for a comment Kit makes about businessmen in this chapter.

* * *

><p>From their vantage point in a hanging cage, Berix and Kiina were getting a good look at life in the city-sized village of Roxtus, one of the last places on the planet they wanted to be. With all of the Skrall troops and local Agori armed to the teeth, the settlement was nothing short of an armed camp. Worse was all of the other Agori from the other villages working under forced labor, no doubt captured and sold into a life of slavery. However, as terrible as it was, the Agori slaves and Skrall legions preparing for their battle campaign were the farthest things from either prisoner's mind.<p>

"It was _my_ cavern and you should've stayed out of it," Kiina insisted forcefully. She was still drilling Berix about the cave.

"Oh, really?" the Agori snapped back. "_Your_ cavern? You stole it. You're a thief, just like me."

"Wha—no! And I thought you said you were a collector, you little weasel."

"Ha-ha, now she remembers! How things change when the metal claw is on the other foot."

"That doesn't even make sense." When Kiina continued, her voice took on a softer tone. "Look, that cavern was my secret place, my private sanctuary from all the ugliness outside. Can you even understand that?"

Upon seeing the last thing he expected to see in the Glatorian's eyes—defeat—Berix felt his anger just suddenly drain away. "Yeah. Yeah, I can," he answered after a long moment. He knew as well as anyone that being a desert with scarce resources, Bara Magna was not one of the easiest places to live. Therefore, he figured it was only natural for people to come up with something to make it more tolerable, something to use as a kind of escape. He 'collected' things, whereas Kiina had the cave and her dreams of leaving the planet someday. He'd even heard that some Glatorian, in order to get their minds off of the harsh reality of life even for a little while, just threw themselves into nonstop training. "I've got feelings, too, you know. And, by the way, I didn't steal them."

"No, you just collected them."

Berix blinked. Kiina was actually smiling warmly at him. Just then, she started laughing, and the Agori couldn't help but join in; he couldn't believe she was actually being nice to him. "Did you ever think maybe you weren't the only one that needed to believe there was something more?" he asked. Kiina's response was a crushed sigh as she looked away, as if she couldn't meet his gaze. Berix didn't like this at all. He'd never seen Kiina, one of the toughest Glatorian he knew, look so . . . vulnerable before, and it disturbed him greatly. 'Maybe if we had stopped yelling at each other for a minute, we could've settled the cave incident a long time ago,' he thought to himself.

Suddenly, a light popped on in his head. "Hey, I've got an idea," he said as he approached Kiina, hoping this would make her feel better. "Maybe we could share the cavern. It could be our secret place. I mean, once the Glatorian rescue us . . . 'cause they _are_ going to rescue us, aren't they?"

"Look where we are, Berix," Kiina replied. "I wouldn't count on it."

Deep down, as much as she wanted to believe otherwise, she didn't see the point in getting Berix's hopes up for something that wasn't going to happen. With the Skrall, the Bone Hunters, the Vorox, and other dangers of the desert, the people of Bara Magna didn't typically go risking their necks to save anyone, not even their own. The fact that they were in the Skrall-Bone Hunter stronghold certainly didn't help their chances either. "Yeah? Well then, what's that?" Berix brightly smiled, pointing through the bars.

Down below, heading toward the front gate and their heads up high, were Kit and Mata Nui. A pair of chained Vorox that guarded the entrance shrieked and tried to claw at them, but neither one shied away in the slightest. Seeing they had company, the Skrall, Agori, and Bone Hunters gathered around a large patterned circle that seemed to make up an arena of some sort. Mata Nui, shield and sword in hand,scanned the crowd until he found who he was looking for. Straight ahead was the tall, intimidating looking figure in black armor with green highlights from Tajun. Placing a hand on Kit's shoulder, her silent signal to stay put, he continued on to face Tuma, the leader of the Skrall.

As Mata Nui approached closer, Tuma sized him and his strange, smaller companion up. He'd heard of these two from the surviving Bone Hunters from the Skopio attack. For a long moment, he stared at Kit with a cruel kind of intrigue; he admitted he was curious as to how this fragile creature could've possibly proved a challenge to his minions. The girl, however, just met his gaze with an indifferent one of her own. This confused him; wasn't she afraid of him? 'No matter,' he thought. 'She'll learn to before I'm done.' Tuma couldn't help but give this new Glatorian and his underling some credit for skill and daring, but his obvious lack of sense was another thing. 'This stranger and his pet will learn a lesson, and a painful one. They walked into my city—they will not be walking out again.'

"Yes, so brave," Tuma commented with contempt.

Meanwhile, up in their cage, Berix couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Are they . . ."

"Alone," Kiina confirmed. She too couldn't understand what Mata Nui and Kit were thinking. Surely those two knew that they couldn't possibly take on all of those sand snakes by themselves. Where were Ackar and the others?

"I'd hoped all of the Glatorian would come, but it seems they're even bigger cowards than I thought!" Tuma proclaimed.

The Skrall and Bone Hunters snarled along with their leader, but Mata Nui and Kit ignored the jibe and let it slide off of them like water. 'He reminds me of someone I know,' Mata Nui thought to himself. 'So sure of his own power, which he draws from the fear of others.' He and Kit had no such fear in them, and that, he hoped, would give them the advantage. After all, they both knew that when beings like Tuma were confronted by someone like them, someone with no fear of them, they fell apart because they held no power over them.

"Either they are mad, or they'd like to join the winning side," Tuma said to the crowd. Then, he turned to Mata Nui, "Which is it?"

"Neither, actually," Kit replied, receiving an inquiring look from the leader of the Skrall.

Mata Nui looked him in the eye and declared, "I am here to fight for my friends' freedom, one on one."

Tuma looked at Mata Nui as if he were crazy, then at Kit, and back again. "What about her? How do we know she won't intervene?"

"I have asked Kit to stay back. She's an honorable warrior; she will remain at the side lines. Although, I highly recommend to your minions that they not try anything themselves for she will make certain they live to regret it."

"I don't believe it," said Kiina. Was Mata Nui serious? Was he really going to face Tuma by himself and Kit was going to let him?

"Neither does Tuma," Berix commented, just before noticing something that made him feel like he was on ice.

At the sidelines, a Skrall warrior was approaching Kit from behind. Before Berix could warn her, the girl instantly retaliated with a mean, powered-up right hook that sent her would-be-attacker flying into a cliffside. She turned to the crowd, "Whose next?" Those Skrall and Hunters who were near her stepped back a couple of steps; they got the message.

"Are you sure you don't want her help?" Tuma asked with a sneer, as if he was trying to get Mata Nui to doubt himself.

"What's the matter, Tuma? Afraid that someone half your size is going to wipe the floor with you?" Kit questioned, in a way that sounded like she was daring him to back down. The crowd growled in response to the girl's tone, but she didn't heed them.

Though Tuma was able to keep his cool, she could see the anger flash in his eyes and dared to let herself have a small, satisfied lop-sided smile. 'How dare she speak to me, the mighty Tuma, with such impudence,' Tuma thought. 'I'll teach her once I'm through with this fool who thinks he can beat me.' When Tuma replied, his voice was still amused, albeit a little bored, "I'm going to enjoy tearing that fancy mask from your face and snapping your little pet in two like a twig." With no warning, Tuma lashed out a solid blow, sending Mata Nui sprawling to the ground before he could even lift his shield up.

"Dirty, cheating Skrall!" Kiina yelled from above.

"Hey, no fair!" Berix joined her.

If Tuma heard them, he gave no indication. The Skrall leader just laughed, "All too easy. C'mon!" All through the fight—if one could call it that—Mata Nui did his best to protect himself from Tuma's punishing attacks; his foe did not let up and he was beginning to wonder two things: One, how much longer he could take this; and two, if it really was a good idea to leave Kit out of this. On her end, Kit watched with growing concern for her friend as she was forced to watch and not do anything, which she absolutely abhorred more than she could say. She fought hard to ignore the voice in her mind that was telling her to step in. The knuckles of her tightly clenched hand hurt to the point where it felt like her fingers would lock in that position. She and Mata Nui had discussed his course of action for when they reached the village and, as much as she hated letting him take on that tyrant on his own, she understood that it was his fight. He had to do this, and he had to do it alone. Plus, if she interfered, Mata Nui's plan would fail. 'I have faith in him, that's why I believe he can do this,' she thought determinedly.

Up in their cage, Berix had his eyes covered. "I can't watch, I can't watch, I can't watch. Mata Nui's getting shredded."

For a moment, Kiina was about to agree with him when she realized something in Mata Nui's strategy. "No. Don't you see? He's doing what Ackar taught us. 'Study your opponent, find his weakness.'"

"Well, he'd better find it fast," said Berix.

Down in the arena, Mata Nui collided to the ground once more. Tuma chuckled, more than confident. Victory was his; the stranger wasn't even bothering to use his shield to defend himself. 'Those Bone Hunters must've been mistaken,' he thought. 'He's certainly far from being an opponent worthy of me, but perhaps he could make a fine chew toy for the Vorox and the female could be a new practice dummy for my warriors.' He bellowed to the crowd, "Did this pathetic weakling really believe he could bring down the mighty Tuma?"

Kit narrowed her eyes in anger, but then hope flared anew in her when she saw some energy spark on Tuma's back and she subtly grinned. Ahead of her, Mata Nui got back on his feet. He looked at her over his shoulder and winked; he'd seen it, too. Though Kit was never an expert in Bionicle physiology, if that spark meant what she thought, Mata Nui might've found what he needed to shut this creep up for good. "Be careful, arrogance can topple giants. Trust me . . ." the former Great Spirit warned the Skrall leader.

Having had enough of this odd Glatorian, Tuma lunged and swung with his sword in what should've been a fatal attack. Mata Nui, though, suddenly moved to Tuma's backside so fast he was almost a blur. Before the tyrant could react, he elbowed him sharply at the very spot where the sparking occurred. Tuma groaned as he stumbled forward in pain and his back sparked more violently. "…I know," Mata Nui concluded his earlier statement. Enraged, Tuma again tried to cut down Mata Nui. Again, Mata Nui dodged faster than Tuma could move and struck at the same spot on his back. 'Yes!' Kit said to herself, pumping a hand. She and Mata Nui were right. Whether he was aware of it or not, Tuma had suffered a kink in his spinal support, thus giving Mata Nui a weakness that could be exploited.

"That's it! That's it! That's it!" Kiina repeated enthusiastically; she could see it, too. In her excitement, she grasped Berix by the shoulders and started shaking him. "Mata Nui found a weak spot in Tuma's armor and now he's using it against him!"

"I get it! Would you stop?" Berix said after managing to free himself and feeling like his brains were nearly rattled loose.

The battle's tide had shifted. Even Tuma couldn't deny it. Mata Nui was actually managing to advance on him. But that didn't mean he was ready—or willing—to throw in the towel just yet. "This can't be," he argued. "I am the Mighty Tuma." As if in a last ditch effort to save his reputation, he struck with his blade. Kit gasped when Mata Nui was disarmed. "I'll crush you like an insect!" Tuma roared.

Mata Nui, though, just smiled and stole brief glance at his shield. "Don't be so fast to knock down insects," he cautioned. "They maybe small, but their sting can fell even something a hundred times their size." Summoning all of his focus and power, Tuma lunged to crush Mata Nui. Being ready, however, Mata Nui leaped high into the air. Landing behind Tuma, he hit at his sore spot with awesome force. "Wouldn't you agree?" he asked, finishing his claim.

Tuma didn't answer. He teetered and stumbled, fighting—but steadily failing—to keep standing. The earlier blows to the injury on his back were beginning to catch up with him. "I . . . I. No," he protested. Despite this, Tuma collapsed, overcome with pain. He was still alive, but unconscious and too weak to continue.

Kiina and Berix's cheers and hollers could be heard from above while the Skrall and Bone Hunters just gawked, completely shocked and unable to believe that Tuma was actually defeated by a Glatorian. As for Kit, she found it a bit odd for a minute when the Skrall didn't make a move to charge Mata Nui or her. Shrugging, she joined up with Mata Nui, who approached Tuma's fallen shield. "I claim Tuma's shield in victory!" he announced, following the Glatorian custom. "Release our friends." A moment passed as he and Kit waited for their enemies to honor their end of the bargain.

Then, to everyone's surprise, the sound of a lone pair of hands applauding resonated throughout the arena and the Skrall and Bone Hunters again lifted their weapons. The clapping then became accompanied with a very familiar laugh and Metus revealed himself, holding Kiina's trident. Kit was so confused and stunned, she couldn't even speak. "I could always pick a winner," said the promoter Agori. "Now throw down your shield and your weapon." Pointing to Kit, he continued, "And if you try anything with your powers, your friends up there will suffer for it." The Skrall and Bone Hunters began chattering, as if in response to Metus' demand. "That's not a joke," the Agori clarified with a dark expression in his eyes.

"Good, your jokes stunk anyway," Kit retorted with a dark expression of her own, putting two and two together.

"Ouch; Kit, that's harsh."

"So, you were the traitor all along," said Mata Nui, his voice cold. He tossed his sword and the shield aside and his own shield shifted back into Click. "Save yourself, my friend," he instructed the beetle as he lowered him down to the ground. The scarabax skittered away and began digging into the rocky ground. Metus hurled the trident to the sand to stop it, but was just too late. Click was already gone.

"Cursed insect!" he cursed.

"You coward!" Kiina accused. "Keeping tabs on the Glatorian so you could sell us out to the Skrall?"

"Not a coward, just a good businessman," Metus countered with a smug smile.

"So you were the one who convinced them to unite," Kit figured out.

"Of course I did. You think they'd come up with that on their own? As rival tribes the nomads did little damage, but together . . . under one ruler . . ."

"You'd lead them against your own people?" Kiina asked, shocked at what she was hearing.

The promoter replied with a black glare, "What have the Agori ever done for me?" In that simple question, Metus revealed his intentions. He did all of this for power, for his own personal gain.

"Hmm, let me think about that for second. Oh yeah, we _trusted_ you!" Berix shouted from the cage.

"The Glatorian will tear you apart for this!" Kiina declared.

Metus, however, still had his arrogant smile, "She still doesn't understand."

Kit's eyes widened, realizing what he meant, and she looked up at Kiina. "He's right. We're the only ones that know." The female Glatorian gasped in horror. Except for her, Berix, Mata Nui, and Kit, who now knew better, as far as Ackar, the other Glatorian, and the Agori were concerned, Metus was still considered a trusted ally.

"Exactly," Metus confirmed. "And by the time the Glatorian realize it, the battle will already be over. I win."

"I wouldn't bet on that if I were you, shorty," Kit retaliated.

Metus chuckled, "Really, kid, look around you. You're surrounded by a combined army. Even if you had your friends down here, none of you would stand a chance of leaving Roxtus alive. You're completely outnumbered and outmatched."

"I've faced worse odds," she answered with an almost bored shrug. "This is why my grandpa always warned me to be careful about businessmen. If they don't have any semblance of morality, ethics, or respect for the law, then they are much worse than the dirt under their very feet."

Some sniggering could be heard from the cage above, courtesy of Berix; everyone knew that that little spiel was specifically aimed at Metus. Glowering and deciding that he'd had enough of the human's attitude, the Agori faced the Skrall and Bone Hunters. "Finish them! I've wasted enough time here. I have to get back."

Metus' tirade was interrupted by the arrival of an astonishing and frightful sight. A giant 100 foot tall creature that appeared to be a Glatorian was making a beeline for the city. Metus caught sight of the Vorox, giving him a desperate idea. "Unleash the wretched beasts!" he commanded. "If that giant crushes them, so be it." The Skrall and Bone Hunters scattered all over the place, running and grunting in fear, some on rock steeds, some on foot. "Where are you going? Don't run, you idiots! Fight!" Metus shouted over the din of terror. Kit smiled gleefully at the sight; the treacherous Agori was already finding out commanding this army was not going to be a walk in the park, especially when they were running for their lives.

Soon, however, the Skrall and Bone Hunters seemed to snap out of their shock, readied their weapons, and charged at the gargantuan attacker. A pair of Bone Hunters was herding the released Vorox towards it, but the desert creatures kept trying to escape. Unfortunately, the Hunters weren't giving them such a chance. Suddenly, twin energy balls sent them and their mounts flying through the air and into the sand with audible thuds. Confused, the Vorox looked behind them to find Kit. "Go! Go on!" she called to them, pointing toward an exit. As if they didn't need to be told twice, the Vorox ran off.

Meanwhile, Mata Nui was also taking advantage of the chaotic situation by trying to get to Kiina and Berix. However, a couple of Skrall blocked his path and chuckled, daring him to attempt to get past them. Without his weapons, Mata Nui knew he couldn't accomplish that. Spotting the Skrall shield, he got an idea and expertly tossed it like a disk. But, the Skrall stepped aside to dodge it and chuckled again, this time taunting him at his failure. "What makes you two bozos think he was aiming at you?" asked Kit, who reached her comrade-in-arms. Bewildered, the Skrall looked up—and saw the cage falling right over them. They split to avoid becoming scrap metal and the cage shattered. Kiina and Berix cheered; they were free.

With a mighty heave, Kit dislodged Kiina's trident from the sand. "Are you guys ok?"

"I am now that I've got this back," Kiina said, reclaiming her weapon, which felt good to have back in her hand. "Thanks."

"What is that?" asked Berix as he pointed at the roaring giant.

"I believe we are witnessing the true power of unity," Mata Nui replied.

At first, Kit wondered what he meant by that. But then, all of a sudden, the giant seemed to dissolve. No, it wasn't dissolving, it was collapsing; collapsing into millions of tiny pieces. That was when she heard it, the familiar clicking chorus of just as many scarabax beetles. Kit smiled in astonishment; the giant was an incredible compilation of scarabax. "Look!" she cried, seeing something in the distance now that the 'giant' was gone. The others saw it too, and were just as stunned as she was.

"And loyalty . . ." Mata Nui breathed.

Up ahead, like they were vengeful spirits of the desert, were Ackar, Gresh, Tarix, Vastus and countless other Glatorian and Agori from every tribe marching towards the city. Kit could scarcely believe it; their friends back at Tesara had formed a force of their own and dared to face and challenge the Skrall. It was a ragtag, undisciplined, wild—and possibly suicidal—force, but a powerful force, nonetheless. Win or die, she was certain that this was going to be one battle the Skrall nor and the Bone Hunters would not soon forget.


	7. Battle at Roxtus

Within minutes, both sides were already fighting each other. Glatorian shouted battlecries, Skrall roared, and weapons clashed.

"Here, you may need this," Mata Nui said to Berix, offering him the Skrall shield.

"Really?" Berix asked, eyes lighting up in surprise. "Wow, nobody's ever given me anything before. Can I keep it?"

"Only if you survive," Kiina eyed him. The Agori gasped in shock, but Kiina laughed. "Don't worry. Just stay close to me. Hold up, aren't we missing part of the team?"

As if in answer, Click appeared onto the wall. Kiina lowered her trident, allowing him to hop on, and lifted the bug up to his master's hand, where he transformed into his shield form. Kit, on her end, summoned her armor suit and nodded affirmatively. "Now we are ready," said Mata Nui. With a shout, he, Kit, and Kiina leaped off the ridge, landing on top of some Skrall warriors, and separated to seek their own challenges—which, given the circumstances, didn't take very long.

A Bone Hunter chuckled as he raised his sword up over his head, his eyes practically glowing with evil anticipation as they locked onto the dazed Iconox Glatorian at his feet. Before he could strike down the final blow, he found himself under attack, backing away, and groaning in pain as he attempted to shield himself from a barrage of small yellowish-gold crescents that seemed to have come from nowhere. The Glatorian, seeing his opportunity, struck out at the Bone Hunter, sending him to dreamland. He turned and smiled as he saluted his rescuer, Kit, who saluted back with a wink and departed to another area of the battlefield.

The girl was about to do the same when something caught her peripheral vision—something that looked suspiciously like a faint wisp of smoke or a dark cloud. She forced her way through the masses, trying to catch up to it. This proved to be easier said than done when just about Skrall or Bone Hunter that got in her way wanted to take her head off.

While dealing with said problem, she felt her heart jump into her throat when she saw what she saw next. Amongst some nearby rocks, she saw Mata Nui struggling against some living smoke. His hands were clutching the Kanohi Ignika, as if he was trying to keep it on while it was being yanked off. She knew immediately what was going on; Mata Nui mentioned that the mask was the reason why he even had a body at all. However, despite her best efforts, she wasn't getting anywhere. There were just too many Bone Hunters and Skrall in the way; she'd never reach him in time and he needed help. "Kiina!" she called, spotting the Glatorian. "Help Mata Nui!" Hearing her cry, Kiina saw Mata Nui's predicament, but was confused.

"It's just smoke."

"Hit it!"

Still having no idea what the big deal was, Kiina complied and launched a jet of water from her trident. To the Glatorian's surprise, the water not only blasted the smoke off of Mata Nui, but it also coalesced into a humanoid form. Mirna, dripping wet, tried to shake herself as dry as possible. When she looked up, she gasped and moved quickly away. There was an explosion of rocks and sand at the very spot where she stood just a moment ago. When the dust cleared, there was Kit, hand still glowing with power. Mirna could tell from the girl's stance and the way her visor was looking right at her that there was no getting past her as long as she was alive.

Deciding to make the first move, Mirna launched her dark energy bolts. Kit easily dodged them and unleashed a pair of energy balls. Mirna switched to smoke form to make herself more nimble in order to avoid them and then she fired again, except Kit dodged once more. For the next several minutes, the two female fighters exchanged attacks in this manner. Mirna charged in half-smoke form at Kit, at one point, intending to try and do what she attempted back at the Piraka fortress. Kit almost didn't get her shield up in time and the force behind Mirna's momentum sent her back into a wall, pinning her.

The two locked narrowed eyes with each other; they were both determined not to back down. Bracing herself against the rock, Kit gave a mighty shove with her arms and legs, effectively pushing Mirna off, and fired single sureshots from both hands, Western style. Mirna had to really twist and turn to keep away from the projectiles. However, despite her best efforts, her arm still got clipped just enough by a shot to make her freeze and hiss in pain. Seeing her chance, Kit dispatched a DragonBall sphere. Mirna saw it coming, but too late to react, thus taking the direct hit and skidding a few feet through the sand. Kit stepped up to her, panting a little. Mirna wasn't moving, she appeared to be out—until she reached up an arm and phased her hand into Kit's stomach. In an instant, Kit found it harder and harder to get a breath of air, but not from freezing cold. It felt more like she had the wind knocked out of her and no matter how hard she tried, she could barely breathe.

Mirna, meanwhile, got on her knees, wishing to remain at eye level with the girl. "I'll admit, kid, you've really given me a run for my money, as I believe you First One's say," she confessed. "But, what less should've I expected from the one who defeated Darcius, whose power dwarfed mine?" At this point, Kit's legs were beginning to fail, shaking from her near-dead weight, and a hint of blue was starting to appear on her lips; with no air, she was fading fast.

"Once I'm sure you're done, I'm going after your Great Spirit friend to claim that mask. With it out of the picture, this realm and everyone and everything in it will crumble and fall apart, and then I can remake it however I wish . . . with me as its queen."

Mirna waited for the girl to collapse, lifeless, to the ground; victory was finally almost hers. However, to her surprise, she sensed something change within Kit. Whereas a moment ago she felt like she was very near death's door, she could now sense her trying to use whatever strength she could just to move her arms. "I . . . won't . . . let you," Kit croaked in a weak voice, Mirna could barely hear her. The girl fought with everything she still had left and beyond that to clasp her hands together, which slightly glowed, reach her arms back, and swing her double-handed fist as hard as she could at Mirna's face.

Mirna was sent flying back several feet and hit the ground hard enough to get winded herself. When she managed to catch her breath, she was in for another unpleasant surprise. Not only was Kit somehow already back on her feet, but the girl flipped her hands over each other several times until they formed a good-sized ball. Mirna could scarcely believe it; Kit had never used that technique before. 'It must be new!' she thought with alarm. Then, Kit threw the sphere and it shot off like a comet, including a bit of a tail.

Mirna tried to assume smoke form in hope that she could fashion a hole to let it pass harmlessly through, but it came in too fast. She received the full blast of the sphere and was struck down once more. Weak, battered, and as sore as heck, Mirna could barely lift her head up to steal a gaze at the young Protector who just didn't seem to know when to quit. Now overwhelmingly exhausted, she dropped her head, surrendering to unconsciousness. With her work finally done, Kit snorted and rubbed the back of her hand against her jaw when a cry for help caught her attention; she'd completely forgotten there was another battle going on.

A few yards away, a Skrall was harassing some Agori. "Hey you!" she called, catching its attention. She got a running start and jumped into a spinning sidekick, knocking the Skrall away and granting the Agori a chance to get away. Anger boiling in its eyes, the Skrall charged at Kit with his club. Quickly, she dodged and kept stepping back with each swing of the weapon. 'If that thing hits me, either way, I'm as good as dead,' Kit thought to herself nervously. She ducked and weaved her body, only managing to avoid a nasty blow from the club that whooshed by, in front and above her by mere inches.

Spotting an opening in his defense, she unleashed a powered up punch. Unfortunately, the Skrall moved at the last minute and she missed her target, grazing his side. But it made him back off long enough for her to summon her shield before he came back with a vengeance. Lucky for Kit, her shield held true; however, the power behind the strike was greater than she anticipated. She could've sworn she felt the very bones in her arms vibrate from the force. She then tried to use it to deflect the blows and redirect their force. Already weakened from holding off his club, Kit found herself on the ground after her opponent rammed his shoulder into the shield. In spite of how numb and sore her arms were now, she sat up on her elbows in time to find herself in the same predicament as the Galtorian from earlier.

The next thing she knew, a green blur grabbed hold of her, she was lifted off her feet and she was surfing on the sand via a familiar green shield. Looking back, she saw the Skrall, who looked bewildered, and fired an energy ball as a parting gift.

"Timing ok?" Gresh asked with a grin.

"Perfect," Kit smiled.

The young Glatorian rode up the lip of a large dune, depositing Kit in the process. The girl tucked into a roll and fired a double-sureshot at a Bone Hunter. After dropping off his human friend, Gresh helped out Mata Nui, who helped Kiina fend off their enemies.

However, with the Skrall being disciplined warriors despite their brutality, the heroes no longer had the element of surprise. They soon found themselves surrounded and facing the regrouped army that pressed in on them.

"They have us outnumbered ten to one," shouted Ackar.

"More like twenty," Kiina corrected.

"Yeah," Gresh agreed, "but who's counting?"

"Let it be a hundred," Mata Nui spoke as he fended off multiple opponents. "We have the true power. We fight with honor and purpose!"

Nearby, Kit just struck down a Skrall when she spotted something at the edge of the battlefield and called to Mata Nui. He looked where she was pointing. It was Metus making a run for it. "So, the coward flees," he muttered. He turned to the others and said, "Hold them here, the traitor is mine!"

"Save some of him for me!" Kit said as she ran after him.

Metus had just reached his dune chariot when he saw a very mad looking Mata Nui and Kit coming right at him. "What are you waiting for? Destroy them," he commanded his Skrall guards. The warriors charged, but they were not even close to being a match for either Mata Nui or Kit. Both struck them down with one hit. Now knowing he'd really be in for it if he didn't get moving that moment, Metus climbed into the seat and fired up the vehicle. Kit tried to stop him, but was just one second too late. She narrowed her eyes and groaned in frustration. Metus, meanwhile, smiled; he was home free—or so he thought.

Before he make it out of the city, he saw that the two Vorox from earlier were blocking the road. He quickly slammed on the brakes. "Out of my way, you filthy Vorox!" The Vorox, however, were not in a listening mood; they remembered how the Agori wanted to sacrifice them to the 'monster'. They grabbed hold of the chariot and flipped it over, dumping out Metus. The Agori just cleared his dizzy head with a shake when he realized with a start that he was right at a glaring Mata Nui and Kit's feet. He gulped nervously when Mata Nui grabbed him and yanked him into the air. "W-Wait, we can make a deal," he pleaded. "I'll give you whatever you want."

"Hmm, tempting," Kit replied with a hand to her chin and eyes looking up in a thoughtful manner. "Very tempting, except for one problem."

Mata Nui brought him in closer so that they were practically eye-to-eye. "We already have what we want. You."

With that declaration, the Mask of Life on his face glowed, and he touched Metus' brow to his own. As he focused the mask's energies, he thought of what passed through his mind throughout the battle with every strike of his sword. He not only thought of his lost universe and people, but also of the evil force that was now holding them captive and making them serve it against their will. Metus possessed the same thoughtless cruelty and arrogance because he desired power more than anything else. And worst of all, he didn't care who had to suffer in order to make it happen. That's what made the traitorous Agori, in his own way, just as bad as the darkness that took over and enslaved Mata Nui's universe. All of this ran through his mind in less than a minute.

"Stop! What are you doing?" cried Metus. "No!"

A flash of light occurred and vanished as fast as it appeared, and in Metus' place in Mata Nui's hand was a snake with the Agori's face.

"Cliché, I admit, but fitting," said Kit, admiring the Ignika's handiwork.

"Now everyone will see you for what you truly are," Mata Nui said, and he tossed away the Metus serpent like he was trash.

Metus rattled his tail and said in a hissing voice as he slithered off, "You may have defeated me, but you'll never defeat my united army." He yelped upon being shot at and disappeared amongst the rocks. Kit quirked a lop-sided smile and blew off imaginary steam from her pointer finger; she enjoyed that.

"Of course," said Mata Nui.

"What?" Kit asked.

But, instead of answering, Mata Nui ran back to the battlefield with her right behind him, curious as to what he meant.

* * *

><p>"There are too many," said Kiina. She, Ackar, and Gresh were now pinned against a ledge, trying to fend off hundreds of Skrall and Bone Hunters. For every one they knocked down, about ten more would replace him; they just kept coming like a living flood.<p>

Just when things were starting to look really bad, Mata Nui jumped in. "We can win this! Together!" he encouraged, his voice overflowing with hope. Holding up his sword, he declared, "For unity!"

"For unity!" the others repeated, touching their weapons with his.

"Now, as one!" Mata Nui instructed, pointing his blade before him.

Ackar, Kiina, and Gresh again touched their weapons to his. A bright light began to form and rapidly grew in size to the point where it exploded just as they were about to be crushed by the advancing forces. When the light dissipated, at first nothing could be seen but a big dust cloud. Once the cloud cleared, Skrall and Bone Hunters alike were retreating, having no intention of facing such raw power. "Ha, ha we did it!" Gresh yelled excitedly. Kiina and Kit joined him by embracing him and each other in a hug, which he returned. They'd done it, they'd won.

Mata Nui held his shield before him and said, "Thank you." In a brief flash, the shield was replaced with Click, who now sat on his master's shoulder and rapidly clicked his mandibles, apparently just as ecstatic as everybody else about their victory.

"And I used to think scarabax were just annoying little pests," said Ackar. The beetle responded by clicking and chirping at him, not acting too pleased. Ackar laughed, "My apologies, Click. I will never doubt you again." This seemed to placate the insect, who lowered his pincers.

Just then, Vastus and Tarix came running to the group, looking none the worse for wear.

"I can't believe it's over," Vastus said, true disbelief in his voice, like he dared not believe what he was seeing.

"And that all of us are still in piece," Tarix added.

True, many of their fighters were injured, but not too badly and no one was killed; it wasn't anything from which they couldn't recover. However, Kiina's face fell, realizing something.

"Wait, where's Berix? Berix? Berix!"

"I haven't seen the little guy since . . ." said Gresh.

"I told him to stick close to me."

"Kiina-" Ackar said gently, trying to get her to calm down.

"No! He was my responsibility!"

She called to the Agori again, but only the whistling wind answered and there was nothing to see but a rocky, barren landscape. Kiina lowered her head, fearing the worst. "Down here," a muffled voice said somewhere nearby, making her perk her head up again. Off to the side, a blue hand poked its way out of a pile of rocks. Berix could be heard coming from within it, "A little help. Help, please?" Kiina rushed to do so, grabbed hold, and with a hard tug, yanked him out. Thankfully, he didn't seem to be hurt, just a little disoriented.

Kiina grasped him by the arms, "You jerk! I thought . . ." Then, just like that, she pulled him into a tight hug, smiling relievingly. "Don't ever do that again."

"You know I think I liked it better when you hated me," Berix said, a little short of breath—and a little embarrassed. "You can let go now." Kiina, however, squeezed a little tighter, like she had no intention of letting go. Mata Nui, Ackar, Kit, and Gresh laughed at the sight.

* * *

><p>The weeks went by and life on Bara Magna continued, though quite a lot of changes were now happening. Though the Bone Hunters still prowled the wastelands of the desert, the Skrall had pretty much disappeared all together with no clear hint about where they could be or had gone. All everyone cared about right now was that the worst threat was over.<p>

And Mirna? Mirna was never found in or near the battlefield at Roxtus, leading to the assumption that she faded away and escaped while no one was watching. Mata Nui and Kit observed from atop one of the trees at Tesara, watching the Agori down below continue with the massive project of joining all of the villages into one big mega-city. Kit could hardly believe that, using nothing but chains, chariots, and hardy two-headed creatures called Spikits, the villagers of Iconox, Vulcanus, and Tajun somehow managed to actually drag their shelters all the way to Tesara, and in as little time as they did. Soon, with it now deserted, the structure from Roxtus would join it, for word had it that some Agori were sent to retrieve it.

Amongst the commotion of the Agori working hard, the sounds of a celebration could be heard, too, from inside the village. "Don't like parties?" Ackar's familiar voice asked. The veteran Glatorian had been hard at work himself the past few days helping with the mega-city link-up. "Agori from all over Bara Magna are pulling together—literally—uniting all of the villages. And we have you two to thank for that."

"No, we were only two pieces," Mata Nui corrected. "It took each of us to complete the whole. This celebration belongs to the Agori and you, Ackar—the first leader of the new united villages."

Then, with one final, mighty tug and resonant boom, the latest shelter was connected into place, causing a tremor that shook the earth and cliffs loose.

"Look, they've done it," said Kiina.

"Whoa, you seeing what I'm seeing?" asked Berix.

When the dust cleared away, everyone saw a sight that was too incredible for words and confirmed what Kit noticed earlier. Before them, the combined villages had formed a giant robot. There were arms, legs, a head, and a torso. It was almost too awesome to believe; all of this time the Agori had been living in pieces of a giant robot?

"Mata Nui, do you think that you and that giant might be connected somehow?" asked Ackar.

"Perhaps," Mata Nui answered. "But you're looking at an empty shell, the remains of what might have been a great ruler, the guardian of his people."

"Wait, I've got something. Hold on," Berix said, digging through his bag. Finally locating what he was searching for, he held it out. "I, uh, collected it from the secret chamber a long time ago. Forgot all about it until I saw that thing down here."

Gresh peered at the coin that he held in his hand. There was a design that looked similar to the giant. "They match!" said Ackar.

Berix nodded, "And wait till you see the other side."

Gresh flipped the coin over. The design was a lined maze-like pattern—the same pattern that adorned the Skrall shield Berix held up.

"Hey, it's the same symbol," Kiina realized.

"No, not a symbol," said Mata Nui, taking the coin from Gresh's hand. "A map!"

"To where?" the rookie Glatorian asked.

"That is what Kit and I have to find out."

"And me, too," Kiina added. "Remember your promise."

Mata Nui chuckled, "You are welcome to join us. But I have no idea how long it might take or the dangers that await."

"So, don't come whining to us if things get tough," Kit warned jokingly.

Gently smiling, Mata Nui continued, "Thanks to all of you, I'm closer to becoming the warrior I must be if I am to reclaim my empire and free my people."

"This time, though, you won't need to face it alone," said Ackar.

"Yeah," Berix agreed.

Mata Nui looked around him. These people, his friends, were beyond ready and willing to accompany him on this expedition. They were not fazed in the least about the fact that they would be traversing into the unknown. The feeling was almost overwhelming. Even Click gave him his say by nuzzling his mandibles against his mask. "Then my friends, our quest begins," Mata Nui announced. As one, the crew looked to the horizon in the distance with anticipation and wondering what they might find at the end of the road. Of all of them, Mata Nui and Kit were the most thoughtful of what might lay ahead and the girl had the feeling that things were about to get very interesting. Their adventures on Bara Magna were just beginning.


End file.
